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LIFE 



OF 



JAMES MUESELL PHILLIPPO, 



Missionary in Jamaica. 



BY 



EDWARD BEAN UNDERBILL, LL.D., 

HoMO&A&Y Secretary op the Baptist Missionary Society. 



{. 001 '^R2 ' 




LONDON: 

YATES & ALEXANDER, 21, Castle Street, Holborn. 
E. MARLBOROUGH & CO., 51, Old Bailey. 



MOCCCLXXXI. 



n 



C;^ LMl) . o^, 0/C. , 



LONDON : 

YATES AND ALEXANDER, PRINTERS, 

LONSDALE BUILDINGS, CHANCERY LANE, W.C. 




PREFACE. 



On his last visit to this country, Mr. Phillippo 
brought with him one or two volumes of manu- 
script, containing a portion of an autobiography, 
the preparation of which had occupied his leisure 
moments for many years. He showed it to me, 
and asked my opinion as to its publication after 
his decease. On examining it, I found it to con- 
tain very full records of the events through which 
Jamaica, and the Jamaica Mission of the Baptist 
Missionary Society, had passed during his long 
life, combined with records of his own personal 
experience and history. There appeared to be 
much information too valuable to be lost, and a 
picture of a true and successful missionary life 
that might be of advantage as an example to 
future generations. In reply to my suggestion 
that he should make arrangements to secure the 
publication of these papers, he at once urged me 
to undertake it His earnest wish I hardly knew 
how to resist, and the less so as my personal 
acquaintance with so many of the events recorded, 
and my warm affection and esteem for him after 
nearly forty years of friendship, gave me some 



iv Preface. 

specied advantages in preparing his manuscript 
for the press. 

Two or three months after his decease, I received 
from his family a large box, containing a mass of 
papers and documents for which I was scarcely 
prepared. It consisted of two parts — a series of 
diaries kept during many of his later years, with 
almost daily entries of events as they transpired, 
and his own summary, in the form of an auto- 
biography, more or less complete ; the whole ac- 
companied with letters, papers, and extracts (both 
manuscript and printed) illustrative of the facts 
he had recorded. On examination, I soon found 
that it would be impracticable to publish large 
portions of the materials before me, if only from the 
number of volumes that would be required to con- 
tain them. The incidents of his early years were 
narrated at great length, while those of a later 
period were left in the shape of mere annals or 
extracts from his diaries. It therefore seemed to 
me that I should best serve his memory, and attain 
his object, by re-writing the whole, availing myself 
as much as possible of his own words, condensing 
and abridging them where I could not, for want of 
space, quote them verbatim* This course being 
approved by his family, the result is the volume 
now in the hands of my readers. 

My chief object has been to present a picture of 
the active Christian life of my friend, and I have, 
therefore, seldom obtruded my own views. On 



Preface. v 

some subjects it would have been in my power to 
g^ve information beyond that which these pages 
fiimish; but the purpose of the volume is to 
depict the life of Mr. Phillippo and its connection 
with the events in which he bore a part. Hence 
it is but seldom that I have gone beyond Mn 
Phillippo's own collections ; and, whether the sub- 
jects under discussion relate to the political and 
social condition of the island, or to the history of 
the Baptist Mission in Jamaica in particular, resort 
for fuller information must be had to other 
sources. 

The task has been more laborious than I ex- 
pected ; but it has been a great pleasure to retrace 
events and to renew acquaintance with persons 
and places familiar to me in years gone by. 

It is my pleasant duty to acknowledge the assist- 
ance I have received from the members of Mr. 
Phillippo's family ; from my dear friend, the Rev. 
D. J. East, the tutor of the Calabar Institution ; 
and from the numerous letters of Mr. Phillippo 
kindly placed at my disposal by the Committee of 
the Baptist Missionary Society. 



Edw. B. Underhill. 



Dekwx2«t Lodob, Hampstead, 
AprU nth, 1881. 



" I would express him simple, grave, sincere, 
In doctrine uncornipt : in language plain, 
And plain in manner : decent, solemn, chaste. 
And natural in gesture : much impressed 
Himself, as conscious of his awful charge. 
And anxious mainly that the flock he feeds 
May feel it too ; affectionate in look. 
And tender in address, as well becomes 
A messenger of grace to guilty men." 

COWPER. 



CONTENTS. 



• • • • •• 



• ■ • • • 



■ ■ • • ■ 



» • • • • • 



• • • ••• 



••t ••• 



«• • •• • 



CBAVTBB 

L—Ea&ly Days 

n.— The Consecration 

ni.— The Student 

IV.— His Designation... 

v.— The Voyage... 

VI.— Settlement at Spanish Town 

Vn. —Commencement of Regular Labours 

Vm. — Opening of the New Chapel 

JX.— The Slave Code 

X. — ^The Gospel of Salvation 

XI. —Persecution— Voyage to the United States... 

XII. — Successful Labour— Illness — Departure from 



• • • • • • •• • • ■ • 



Jamaica 



■ •• *•• ••• •■• ••• •■• ••• 



• 99 fta 



* « • • • • 



• • * • • • • 



• •■ ••• «•• ••■ ai 



••• ••• ■•• 



I • • I 



XIII.— First Visit to England ... 

XIV. — ^Renewal of Missionary Labours 

XV.— The Apprenticeship 

XVI.— Educational Labours 
XVIL— White unto Harvest 

XVni.— The AppRENTicESHtP abandoned 

XIX Celebration of Freedom 

XX. — ^Progress under Difficulties 
XXI. — Origin and Formation of Townships 
XXII.— Visit to Windward Islands 
XXni.— Independence assumed by the Churches 

XXrV.— Residence in England , 

XXV.— Deputation to the West India Islands 

^^tori^L V A«^^* A Hlr JLtAwW OwlX ••• ••• ••• ■•• «•• ••• ••■ 



»•• •«■ ••• ••• «•• 



» • • • • • « • 



■ • • • • ■ 



••• ••• ■•• ««• 



PAOX 
I 

•r 

i€ 
24 
30 
35 
43 
53 
63 
72 
84 

90 

98 

110 

117 

132 

139 

147 

165 
169 

180 

192 

198 

210 

218 

226 



viii Contents, 



CKAPTBB 'AftB 

XXVIL— -State of the Mission 237 

XXVIII.— State of the Island— The Cholera 250 

XXIX. — ^TiMEs OF Refreshing .., 259 

XXX.— The Work of Faith 270 

XXXI. — Public Affairs 276 

XXXII.— Visit to the United States and England ... 281 

XXXIII.— Resumption of Labour 293 

XXXIV. — The Revival 304 

XXXV.— Patient Toil 315 

XXXVI.— The Disturbances 325 

XXXVII .-^xiARTLANDS • ... ... ... 34^ 

XXXVIII. — ^Education and Disestablishment 357 

XXXIX. — ^The Aged Pastor * 369 

XL. — ^Retirement from the Pastorate 377 

XLI — ^The Jubilee of his Ministry 383 

XLII. — ^Decease of his Wife 395 

XLIII — The Aged Christian 400 

XLIV. — Final Visit to England 409 

XLV. — His Last Days 419 

Jk^MkMkB»Pi mJ IJW ••• •■• ■«• «•• ■•« *«• ••• ■•• •«« 4Jj^ 



LIFE 



OF 



JAMES MURSELL PHILLIPPO- 



CHAPTER L 

EARLY DAYS— 1798 to 1813. 

Jamss Phillippo was born in the little market town of 
A East Dereham, Norfolk, on the 14th October, 1798, East 
Dereham contains some 4,000 inhabitants, and is not 
altogether undistinguished in English history. The 
famous Bonner was rector of the parish before he entered 
on his sanguinary career as Bishop of London. More 
pleasant associations attach to the memory of the poet 
Cowper, who, towards the close of his sorrowful, yet not 
altogether unhappy, life, resided here. His earthly re- 
mains have their resting-place in the church, and the 
monument which marks the spot was erected by his 
attached friend Lady Hesketh, the almost forgotten poet 
Hayley supplying the epitaph. It was from Mrs. Ann 
Bodham« his cousin and a resident in Dereham, that 
Cowper received his mother's picture, and from which 
sprang one of the finest poems in the English language. 
The site of Cowper's residence is now occupied by an 
Independent chapel. George Borrow, a native of Dereham, 
and a contemporary of Mr. Phillippo, calls their common 
birthplace "the pattern of an English country town,** 
lying in picturesque fashion, " pretty and quiet," along 
the borders of the little stream which gives fertility to 
the valley through which it runs. 



Early Days. [1805 



James was the oldest of the four surviving children- 
three sons and a daughter— of Peter and Sarah Phillippo. 
His father was a master builder, and part proprietor of an 
iron foundry in East Dereham. Mrs. Phillippo was the 
daughter of Mr. Matthias V* Banyard, a respectable trades- 
man and farmeh It is, however, ptobable that the 
Phillippo family were originally emigrants from the Nether- 
lands, driven hither by the persecutions of Alva in 1575 
or 1580. Two descendants of the refugees of this name 
lie buried in St. Saviour's Church,' Norwich, one of whom 
was High Sheriff of Norfolk in 1675. 

Very early in his young life James Phillippo exhibited a 
striking aptitude for the acquisition and retention o^ 
knowledge. At four years of age he began to attend*, as 
a day scholar, a boarding-school in the town. He often 
carried away the palm from his fellows for ready and 
fluent recitation of the pieces they learnt His imitative 
powers were remarkable, and were frequently put to the 
test for the amusement of his friends. His apt imitation 
of the preachers whom he heard led his grandfather to 
remark that some day the boy himself would become a 
" Methodist parson.*' 

At seven years of age,. James was sent as a pupil to a 
school conducted by the Rev. Samuel Green, the minister 
of a small Baptist congregation existing in East Dere- 
ham. His stay in the school was not long. He reports 
himself while there as distinguished for little else than' 
disobedience and mischief, which brought upon him 
merited chastisement. Probably with the hope of better 
results he was removed to the grammar school at Scar- 
nlng, ^ small village, two miles distant from Dereham, of 
which the rector was the principal. This gentleman was 
held in high repute as a scholar, and was of High Church 
proclivities, but wds particularly noted for his forbidding 
manners. Some years before, the celebrated Robert Robin 



I Soy] Early Days, 



son, of Cambridge, had been a scholar in the same institu- 
tion, and among Mr. Phillippo's contemporaries was the 
Rev. W. Gathercole, well known in later years for his bitter 
attacks on Dissent. Here James seems to have made fair 
progress, especially in those studies which require the' 
exercise of a good memory ; but the discipline of the 
school was ill-calculated to bring out the finer qualities of 
the scholars. The master was very severe in his treat- 
ment of defaulters, capricious in the exercise of his powers, 
and tyrannical in his bearing. ** He was as much feared 
by the boys/' said Mr. Phillippo years afterwards, ** as the 
most tyrannical slave-master I have ever known was by 
his slaves." Cruel floggings were inflicted without dis* 
crimination, and in. paroxysms of anger. On one occa- 
sion, for no known cause, he began to flog the whole 
school, consisting of fifty bojrs, till, coming to the seniors, 
they broke out into rebellion, and in the melee that ensued 
the master was thrown to the floor. Even his own sons 
were not exempt from the infliction of his cruel wrath. 

In the diary which Mr. Phillippo kept in after-years, 
under date of April loth, 1851, he thus refers to some of 
the incidents of this period :— '' During snatches of time, 
within the last two or three days, I have read Mr. Sorrow's 
'Lavengro' — a curious production. He was a fellow- 
townsman ; I knew his father, mother, brother, and him* 
self; as also the High Church rector, and the still more 
aristocratic clerk, Philo, and several of the occurrences he 
describes — all truthfuL Yes I pretty Dereham, how many 
recollections of bygone days did George Sorrow's narrative 
recall I Old Captain Borrow especially stood before me, a 
tall, gaunt, gentlemanly old n^an* How often, when a boy, 
have I gazed at the decorations on thy splendid scarlet 
uniform! I also knew his gallant corps, drawn- mostly 
fcom that pretty town and neighbourhood. I never saw 

a finer set of men than were embodied in the East 

B % 



Early Days. [1810 



Apgliaa or West Norfolk Militia, I was at that time 
a great favourite of the old clerk, and also of the rector. 
The clerk taught me to sing, and from the gallery where 
I sat I often saw Captain Borrow and the author of 
* Lavengro * in the family pew, while I had many a stroll 
with him about the lanes and alleys of the town and in 

places where 

< The primrose, ere her time, 
Peeps through the moss that clothes the hawthoni-root/ ' 

At this period of Mr. Phillippo's life, his parents were 
attached adherents of the Established Church, but from 
some cause, probably owing to conscientious scruples on 
the part of the mother, none of the children had been 
baptized. The rite was now observed. Soon after, James 
Phillippo was confirmed by Dr. Bathurst, Bishop of Nor- 
wich, But at fourteen years of age he had begun to un* 
derstand the responsibilities under which he lay to God« 
Convinced of his unfitness, and sensible of the worldliness 
of his spirit, he steadily refused to go to the Communion. 
He shrank from an act so solemn, and one that he knew 
ought to be accompanied by a change of heart and life, 
. It was when between twelve and thirteen years of age 
that he leilt school, and for a short time assisted in his 
father's business. He then went to reside with his grand- 
father, for whose occupation he had a stronger predilec- 
tion. There he was subject to less restraint than at home, 
and he seems to have availed himself of every opportunity 
for worldly pleasure. His chosen companions, though of 
respectable parentage, were irreligious. The pious instruc* 
tions and example of his mother were lost to him. " Prayer 
was restrained," he say3, "and religious duties were 
entirely neglected." His habitual resorts were the tea- 
garden, the bowling-green, the theatre, the club-feast, 
and the country wake. The Lord's-day was more or 
less desecrated by these pursuits, till at length he began 



t8i4] JEarly Days, 



to cherish contempt for the Word of God, and to entertain 
ideas of the non-existence of God and of a future life. He 
joined his wild companions in disturbing the worship of 
a small community of Methodists, and frequently took part 
in deriding them as they passed along the streets. His 
old teacher, the venerable minister of the Baptist congre- 
gation» with his people, shared in this contemptuous dis- 
regard of the civilities of life. Nevertheless, " all my re* 
ward," he says at a later time, *' consisted in disappoint- 
ment, disquietude, and remorse." 

In the midst of this career of worldliness and sin, God 
did not leave Himself without witness in the heart of His 
wandering child.. A visit now and then, on a dark Lord's- 
day evening, to the Independent chapel brought him 
mider the faithful ministry of the Rev. Mr. Carter, of Mat- 
tishalL The impression made by his home instruction 
was on these occasions revived, and for a little while his 
mind would be filled with fearful apprehensions of a judg- 
ment to come» A voice as of thunder would summon him 
to repent, and. although appetite and passion might resume 
their sway, there was left an abiding conviction that sooner 
or later he would be constrained to abandon his worldly 
life. The struggle with his inclinations was often violent. 
''More than once," he says, "I ran from the house of 
prayer to the theatre, there to check the rising tide of 
conviction." Several striking escapes from death also had 
a lasting influence on his mind.. Twice he was saved from 
drowning ; once he barely escaped with life from a fall 
from an upper floor, with the chain of the factory crane, 
on a wagon thirty feet below. At another time, returning 
from a harvest-home on a very dark night, his horse 
stumbled in a narrow lane said to be haunted, and the 
terror of an apparition was added to the frightful fall and 
the contusions he received. The horse had stumbled 
over the clanking chain of a hobbled donkey. 



Early Days. [1815 



In this state of feeling the desire sprang up in his mind 
to go to the Baptist chapel. EUs habits, and the preju" 
dices which had been sedalously fostered against thd 
Baptist community by the master of the grammar school, 
were opposed to the idea^ A visit to this lowly sanctuary 
was» however, made. As he sat beneath the pulpit, the 
preacher's words smote him to the heart. He was over<> 
whelmed with shame. Tortured with anger and remorse, 
he hasted from the chapel, determined, if possible, to 
stifle his convictions. F6r Several weeks the strife with 
conscience and with the Spirit of God was severe* In his 
distress he at length found a friendly counsellor, who led 
him to the footstool of mercy, and there, as he himself 
expresses it, '' with all my sins about me, and with an 
earnestness and ^uency I can never forget, I supplicated 
mercy through the blood of Christ as the greatest boon 
that Heaven could bestow." The prayer was heard. *• I 
felt,'* he says, " like Christian when he lost his burden at 
the sight of the Cross ; my mind was filled with joy un* 
speakable. I thought I was in a new world, surrounded 
by new objects, and possessed of new senses. Every- 
thing assumed a different appearance. It was heaven to 
me to please God, and to be fashioned into His likeness. 
Old things emphatically passed away;. behold, all things 
became new ! " And James Phillippo entered on that life 
of consecration and devoted service to the Saviour which 
the ensuing pages will describe. 



I • 



CHAPTER. II. 

THE CONSECRATION'— 1815 to iSig, 

A YEAR elapded, daring which James Phillippo left his 
grandfather for other employment ^t Elsing, a small 
village five miles from Dereham, before he summoned^ 
courage to present hiniaelf- for membership with the 
Baptist chttrch. Varioiis obstructions blocked his way. 
Many of his intimate friends were in fellowjship with the 
Independent congregation, dnd desired him to miite 
with them« .His theological opinions on some subjects 
were unformed and immature. His family also threw 
impediments in his path, not the least of which was the 
prevalent prejudice arising from the apparent poverty and 
weakness of the Baptist church. These difficulties led 
him to a close study of the Holy Scriptures. With the 
sacred volume open before him he. sought on his kn^es 
for the light of heaven« The result was a resolve, even 
though the act might involve obloquy and worldly 
disadvantage, to give his life publicly to the Saviour, and 
by baptism to range himself on the Lord's side. The 
observance of the sacred rite became an emphatic declara- 
tion of fealty to his Lord, such as may be fitly expressed 
in the words of the two tribes and a-half of Israel to 
Joshua: ''All that thou commandest us we will do, and 
whithersoever thou sendest us we will go" (Joshua i. i6). 
As in many similar cases, his difficulties fell away with the 
decisive act, and some members of his fz^mily who had 
endeavoured to prevent it, impressed with the solemnity of 



8 The Comeeraiim. [1816 

the service, were among the first to obtain a blessing from 
on high, and follow the example of the brother and the 
son« The administrator of the rite to the youthful dis- 
ciple was the venerable pastor of the church, who for a 
short time had been the early instructor of the boy. 

The new life in Christ now. openly manifested its 
power. James Phillippo gave himself to the diligent and 
systematic study of God's Word. For improvement in 
general knowledge he placed himself at an evening school. 
Stirrings of desire for usdjfulness among' his fellow-men 
began to be felt, especially amorig the far-off nations 
lying in darkhessf and in the shadow of death. He read 
the Qiissiohary publications of the African traveller 
Campbell with avidity, and gave his leisure- to the acquisi- 
tion of such handicrafts as he thought would be useful 
in a mfssiohar/s career. Medicine, brickmaking, house- 
building, cabinet work, the wheelwright's toil« agriculture, 
and the manufacture of articles of food and clothing, 
all attracted in turn his serious and ardent attention. His 
progress in knowledge, and his natural gifts, soon marked 
him out for employment as a preacher of the Gospel in 
the surrounding villages. His first appearance was as the 
substitute of a friend, suddenly prevented by illness from 
fulfilling an engagement, in the .village through which 
Mr. Phillippo and his employer's family regularly journeyed 
on their way to the Lord's-day services at Dereham. He 
began also to visit the houses of the villagers for religious 
conversation. His companions in business were invited 
to listen to the Word of Salvation, and he records with 
gratitude to God that in not a few instances his 
ministrations were blessed. A young friend who succeeded 
him in his situation at Elsing writes in 181 7 :— • 

** My dear Friend, — ^I have great pleasure in informing 
you that Mr. T. and Mr. G., the senior apprentices, were 
baptized on a confession of faith last month. Mr. T. is 



iSiyl Thi Consecration, 



Yerymuch altered since he c^me here. He is now, I am 
sure; truly pious. ' He attributed his first religious im- 
pressions to jour reproofs, advice, and ' eotpostulations. 
You will regard his conversion as an answer to your 
prayers, and take courage. Mr. G., too, attributed his 
first impressions to two sermons which you preached when 
in Elsing lasft. May the Lord give you many more souls 
to your ministry I " 

It was during the serious illness of his employed, on 
whom he attended with great assiduity, giving support and 
comfort by his prayers and Scriptural expositions, that the 
duty of devoting himself entirely to the ministry of the 
Gospel was brought distinctly before hini. After grateful 
reference to his services, ''I sliould be sorry to part with 
you," said his master, '' and I do nrot know what I should 
do without you ; but I can no longer withhold my im- 
pression. Have you never ' thought of- the ministry ? " 
The secret longings of James Phillippo's heart now found 
utterance, and he told of the visions of usefulness he had 
entertained in some foreign land, where the Gentiles were 
ignorant of ** the unsearchable riches of Christ." •* Have 
you never expressed your desire to our pastor ? " He had 
not ; and, as his 'master had promised to send Mr. Green 
to the neighbouring village of New Buckingham, it was 
at once arranged that James should be the driver, and 
thus obtain an opportunity to communicate to the pastor 
his cherished hopes. 

Much occurred on the journey to check the utterance of 
his wish. Fear of a repulse tied his tongue. Then the 
conversation of the pastor with a fanner on whom they 
called by the way was discouraging. Instances of failure 
of some young aspirants to the ministry were referred to, 
while the cost of their education was said to render the 
greatest, caution necessary* It was, moreover, of the last 
importance that none but truly able and godly men should 



10 7^i ConsetraiiofL [1818 

be.ehcouraged to abandon their worldly pursuits for th9 
solemn and moAientous responsibility . of the car^ of 
souls.* At the houae of another, a highly esteemed 
friend, who was visited on the route, the conversation 
turned on the qnalifications of a true missionary. Not only» 
it was argued, must there be good capacity, but the tepper 
and. conduct in daily life should exhibit a pattern: of 
exalted piety. It was not till the village worship was over, 
and, the journey home n^rly accomplished, that with 
much trembling and hesitation of speech the subject was 
broached. Contrary to expectation, and in a tone and 
manner altogether diflfefent to that he feared : "Well," 
said the pastor,.^* I have sometimes thought that if Provi* 
dence should cast your lot in some dark country-place in 
your own land, you might make yourself useful." 
Phillippo intim&ted that hi» wish was to go abroad, in 
however mean a capacity, to do service for h.is Lord« 
" Then," was the immediate reply, ** you must read books 
on the! subject ; " dnd various works were at once named^ 
to be lent from the pastor's library. 

The- die wad cast, fiusiness arrangements of con* 
Siderable advantage had already been set aside for the 
object in view. -Mr. Green, who was about to remove 
into Huntingdonshire, lost no time in introducing his 
" son in the Gospel " to that eminent servant of Christ, the 
Rev. Joseph Kinghom, of Norwich. " I conveyed this 
letter in person," writes Mr. Phillippo in his journal, *' my 
late employer lending me a horse for the journey. As some 
evidences of my anxiety of mind as to the results of the 
interview with this venerable and learned minister of the 

f Mr. Phillippo adds in a note : << This venerable minister, being 
once asked his opinion respecting a young man proposed for the 
ministry, inquired, * Is there day ? ' — ^a question usually proposed by 
purchasers or lessees of farms in Norfolk, without which a fann would 
be comparatively valueless." 



i8i8J The Consecration. il 

Gospel, from a fear of my not possessing, in his judgm^qt, 
the requisite qualifications for the work to which I aspired^ 
not' nnmized with awe which his presence and manner 
inspired, I prayed earnestly td God during the whole of 
the journey, a distance of fourteen or fifteen miles, some- 
times dismounting from tny horse and retiring for prayer 
to private places, in the fields or along the road. My 
earnestness amounted to an agony that God would give 
me favour in the sight of His honoureKl 'servant, so that 
my journey might be successful." * 

Those still living who can remember the taU form and 
dignified mien, the suave manners and grave accents, of 
Joseph Kinghom, can readily understand the ^'awe*- 
which a country youth would feel on .entering hi? 
presence. His kindness and courtesy,, however, soon 
dispelled all fear. A long .conversation ensued. Th^ 
dealings of God with the young aspirant were fully 
related. The sincerity of his consecration was tested 
with kindly care, and at length James Phillippo was 
encouraged to communicate his views and wishes to the 
Conmiittee of the Baptist Missionary Society, with thQ 
assurance that Mr. Kinghom would sustain the appli- 
cation by a private letter from himself. 

Mr; Phillippo forwarded, in a few days, to the Rev. 
John Dyer, the Secretary of the Society, a long and 
interesting paper, in which, in much detail, he explained 
the origin and motives of his application* He states 
that in taking this step he was acting on the advice of 
his pastor, the Rev. Samuel Green, and the Rev. Joseph 
Kinghom. He relates the Divine process by which he 
had been brought out of the darkness of a sinful and 
injurious life into the marvellous light of the Gospel* 
From the moment that his own eyes were opened-he had 
longed to be an instrament in the hands of God to turn 
*' the heathen from darkness to light, and from the ppwec 



ii The Consecration. TiSiS 

of Satan unto God." It had been the subject of constant 
prayer. The prayer of the "man of Macedonia" was 
ever sounding in his ears — ** Come over and help us." 
To fulfil this desire he had declined advantageous offers 
in business, and endeavoured, in various ways« to prepare 
himself for the great task he had in view. Only the hope 
of leading even one poor pagan to the Saviour's feet 
could have persuaded him to leave his native shore for a 
strange land. ** The promotion of the glory of God," he 
says, *' in the conversion of the heathen is, I hope, my 
only aim." He then briefly states his belief in the main 
doctrines of the Christian faith, and, as he does not seem 
to have swerved from them during the whole term of his 
long ministry, the statement may here be inserted. 

**I believe in the total depravity of all mankind; in 
the absolute necessity of a change of heart ; in man's 
inability to accomplish this work ; that it is effected by 
the Holy Spirit, through the use of means ; that Christ is 
the only way of salvation; the necessity of personal 
holiness. I recognise also two Ordinances: Baptism^ 
administered to adults on a profession of faith in Christ $ 
and the Lord's Supper. I believe in the final salvation of 
believers, and the final destruction of unbelievers." 
• His paper is closed with, the pious aspiration that 
wherever his lot may be fixed, whether in Europe, or 
Asia, or Africa, or America, ^' I may copy the example of 
my glorious Lord and Master, and go about doing good.'* 

This document was forwarded to Mr. Dyer in the last 
month of 1818. A time of prolonged and wearisome 
waiting ensued. This was probably owing to. the many 
perplexing events which gave great anxiety to the friends 
of the Society. Writing about this time Mr* Gutteridge 
says: — "Difficulties increase from Serampore and Cal- 
cutta. Colombo is a source of expense almost unwarrant- 
able. . Jamaica is stretching out its arms for assistance, 



1 819] The Cansecmiwn. 13 

and we possess not the means of help/'* Pecuniary 
embarrassments threatened the very existence of the 
Society, and considerable sams had to be borrowed to 
meet the most pressing obligations. No reply was 
given, till the patience both of Mr. Phillippo and of 
bis friends was well-nigh exhausted, A portion of 
t)ie time was spent in preaching in various towns and 
villages in Norfolk, But as months passed away, and a 
short term of remunerative emplojrment could not be 
found, a return to business was painfully contemplated. 
Negotiations, which were commenced, failed in some 
mysterious way, when suddenly the welcome summons. 
to London arrived. 

. On the 27th October, 181 9, after nine months' weari- 
some suspense, the Rev. John Dyer, writing from 
Reading, invited Mr. Phillippo to meet the Committee, on 
the 25th November, at the Baptist Mission Rooms at 15, 
Wood Street, Cheapside. It was not without anxiety that^ 
Mr» Phillippo obeyed the call. He had had to resist the 
importunities of friends who desired to keep him at 
home ; but their entreaties were easily endured in com- 
parison with the fear that he might fail to approve 
himself before a committee (as he says) *'of ministers] 
and highly educated lay gentlemen." His duty, however,, 
was now plain, and, with a letter of introduction from Mr. 
Kinghom to the Rev. Joseph Ivimey, we find him, on the^ 
20th November, taking up his abode at the house of his 
QQcle, the Rev. J. Denham, then minister of the Baptist 
congregation in Poplar. 

. On entering the ante-room of the Mission House, on 
the evening of the appointed day, he says, '' I found there 
a young man, who, after the usual salutations were 
exchanged, inquired if I were one of the members of the 

* Kxnghom*s life, p. 374. 



i'4. The Consecration, ' [1819 

Committee. Answering in the negative, and adding that 
r was come to appear before the Committee as a 
candidate for missionary service, ' What I ' said my inter* 
rogator, * are yon the young man from Norfolk ? ' On my 
replying yes, he rose from his chair and, grasping my hand, 
said with great warmth of feeling, ' My name is Burchell ; 
I am come for the same purpose from Gloucestershire; 
how glad I am to see you.* " Mutual explanations 
ensued, and a fellowship was established which lasted to 
the end of Mr. Burchell's useful and distinguished career. 
Mr. Phillippo was the first to facethe assembled board, 
whose inquisition was so much feared. Mr« Ivimey's 
hearty welcome, the kindly greetings, the pleased express 
^on on the countenances of other gentlemen present, 
speedily dispelled the fears of the youthful candidate, and 
assured him that his apprehensions of an undue severity in 
the tests to which he was about to be exposed were vision* 
ary. His examination was brief. His testimonials were 
explicit and satisfactory, and, after some cheerful advice 
from Dr. Newman and others as to the studies he should 
pursue, he rejoined his friend in the ante-room with the 
joyful tidings of his acceptance. A similar welcome re- 
ception awaited Mr. Burchell, and the two friends retired 
together, rejoicing that they were " counted worthy '* to. 
serve the Lord among the heathen. Their future course 
fully sustained the views which at this time seem to 
have pressed with more than usual force on the minds of 
tlie Committee. In the Report of this year, referring to 
the character of a true missionary, the Committee say : 
'' To sustain a character so arduous with reputation and 
success requires a combination of mental qualities not ofteil 
united in the same individual, superadded to the indispens- 
able qualification of a heart thoroughly devoted to God."* 
— • . _ , 

* Periodical Account, 18 19, p. 16. 



8i9] 



The Consecration. 



«5 



A few days were pleasantly spent in visiting the novel 
sights of London, in fulfilling some preaching engage* 
ments, and in hearing discourses from the lips of leading 
ministers of the denomination. Among those to whom he 
listened must be mentioned the Rev. William Gray, pastor 
of the Baptist church in Chipping Norton. He had been 
selected by the Committee as the preceptor of the young 
missionary. 

On. the 29th November, Mr. Phillippo received a hearty 
welcome from the students and the family of the eiccellent 
man under whose roof his first essays into the regions of 
theological study were about to be made. 



» » 



CHAPTER III. 

THE STUDENT— 1820 TO 1821, 

Mr. Phillippo. found three associates in his student-life 
at Chipping Norton, afterwards increased to seven, two 
of whom, like himself, were destined to missionary 
service* He began his studies in a very hopeful spirit 
*' Now," he says, " I can look forward with a hope, full 
of animation, to that day on which, if spared, I shall 
embark on the great and wide sea to impart to the 
infatuated slaves of sin and Satan ^the glorious Gospel 
of the blessed God.' Henceforward let my motto be. 
Energy, Prudence, Economy, Temperance, Perseverance, 
with ardent love to God and man." 

In an interesting letter, written about a month after his 
arrival in Chipping Norton, to the Rev. J. Denham, he 
thus speaks of the feelings with which he girded himself 
for his task. 

•*I arrived here the evening after my departure from 
town. * • . The days and weeks that have passed away 
since my coming may be numbered among the happiest 
of my life. . • • There are several dark villages around 
us, to which we go alternately to break the bread of life. 
Last Sabbath I preached at Middleton Cheney, a village 
in Northamptonshire. I felt more comfortable than I 
expected, and I tnist that my one great aim was, and I 
hope ever will be so, to preach the truth earnestly, faith- 
fully, and simply, that when called away I may leave the 
pulpit and the world clear of the blood of all men. I 



i82o] The Student. 17 

have commenced my studies'. I find them difficult. Of 
course, but I am determined, bj grace given me from 
above» to surmount them all, in view of the great object 
of mj heart, to preach among the Gentiles the unsearch- 
able riches of Christ. I do feel, as the. holy Fearce says, 
* a glowing satisfaction in the thought of spending my life 
in something nobler than the locality of this island will 
permit.' In order to make full proof of my ministry I 
musty I know, be diligent, and make the best use of my 
time. I must have method, and, as you have been 
similarly circumstanced, I should be glad of your advice 
on the subject. Be assured that. I will endeavour to act 
upon it to the best of my ability/' 

To his parents he wrote : — 

'' Providence has fixed my habitation for a time here, 
which is nearly two hundred miles remote from the place of 
my birth. My thoughts often disentangle themselves from 
the pursuits of study, and force themselves to the place 
of your loved abode« I am sure you keenly feel the 
separation. But you must remember that I am to be 
engaged in a glorious cause. Who would not lend a 
hand to dispel the darkness of Satan's kingdom, and erect 
upon its ruins the Elingdom of (jod ? This world is not a 
place of repose for a faithful soldier of the Cross. I may 
be subject to many trials and difficulties that I should not 
be exposed to in the common walks of life at home ; but 
how animating the thought that the conflict will soon be 
over, even at the longest term of service, and, if faithful, 
I shall be crowned with glory and honoured with the 
commendation of my great Master. 

*' Oh t how blessed is the religion of Jesus I how it 
smooths the furrows of care and gilds the dark paths 
of life 1 Blessed, for ever blessed, be the day when J[ was 
brought to experience its blessed influence on my heart 



1 8 The Student. [1820 

and life I Give my best love to sister, brothers, and 
friends," 

Mr. PhilHppo abont this period began to keep a diary, 
in which he inserted notes of passing events, with such 
reflections as occurred to him. A few extracts covering 
the first term of his student-life will exhibit the nature of 
his employments, and the spirit with which he prosecuted 
them. 

"January 8th, 1820. Rode to Blockley to-day. The 
weather was intensely cold ; but the most to be lamented 
was my cold and lifeless heart. It is this which mars my 
comfort, and prevents my holding that communion with 
my God and Saviour which is so essential to my happiness 
and usefulness. 

"9th, Sabbath-day. Proceeded from Blockley to 
Campden, accompanied by Mr. J. Smith. How charming 
were the prospects I I could not but be struck with the 
romantic scenery, which surpassed in beauty and grandeur 
all I had ever seen before. Preached from Isa. liii. 3 and 
4. I trembled for fear of man, but the Lord stood by me, 
and strengthened me, so that I proceeded beyond my 
most sanguine expectations. Bless the Lord, O my 
soul I 

** Preached in the afternoon at Blockley from 8th Rom. 
28. Oh! that I could feel more of the importance 
of the work. Took tea with Mr. and Mrs. J. Smith, and 
conversed on the privations and hardships of a missionary's 
life. But * none of these things move me.' 

** Monday, January loth. Spent the greater part of the 
day in reading the memoirs of Henry Martyn. Oh ! that 
I possessed the spirit of this holy man ; that I felt more 
for the salvation of the poor heathen I Blessed Jesus, 
melt this stony, this rocky heart into tenderness and 
compassion ! 

*• April 8th. Went to a double lecture at Eatington, 



i82o] The Student. 19 

Warwickshire. Messrs. Price, of Alcester ; Beetham, of 
Hooknorton ; Coles, of Bourton-on-the- Water, and W. 
Gray preached. Two or three of the students conducted 
the devotional services. The sermons were excellent and 
very appropriate. I was particularly interested in the 
evening sermon, by our tutor, from the words, * They shall 
come from the east/ &c. It was both an interesting and a 
profitable day. May the services be abundantly blessed 
by the God of all grace 1 ** 

''April loth. Rose at 6 o'clock and walked about the 
village mitil 7. Afterwards accompanied three or four of 
the ministers and students to Edge Hill, celebrated for 
the memorable battle fought on it. On ascending the 
summit of a tower dedicated to the memory of the battle, 
we saw the spot which receptacled four thousand of our 
fellow-creatures. 

*' April 19th. One of our missionary students has left 
to continue his studies at Bradford under the venerable 
Dr. Steadman. Our number is thus reduced to five, one 
other having gone to Bristol for home service. Thus our 
turns of writing sermons and essays for criticism, also 
sermons to be preached before our tutor and the 
congregation on week evenings, in addition to those to be 
prepared for village congregations, are more frequent. 
Oar hands are always full. Religion, I may say, flourishes 
in this town and in the villages around. Every place in 
which Divine service is held is filled. Nothing can be 
more encouraging than the attendance. One of our 
nmnber, Mr. Mursell,* is one of the most powerful 
preachers I have ever heard. His addresses are so 
adapted to the understandings of the poorer people as to 
produce a powerful effect on them. He bids fair to be a 
veiy superior and popular man. These labours among 

* The Rev. James Fhillippo MorseU, of Leicester. 

C 2 



20 



The SiudenL [1820 

cottagers are doubtless a very excellent preparation for 
ministerial work at home and abroad, especially the latter, 
and make me long to spend my days in some heathen 
land." 

With Mr. Mursell a very intimate friendship was 
established, which was sealed by an exchange of names, 
Mr. Mursell adopting the name of Phillippo, and Mr. 
Phillippo that of Mursell* This friendship was in subse- 
quent years a source of great comfort and strength to Mr 
Phillippo, and was only interrupted by his death. 

Mr. Phillippo's first vacation commenced on the 30th of 
May. The slow travelling of those days enabled him to 
enjoy the scenery on his way, of which, he speaks with 
delight. His road first led him to Oxford, where he paid 
a brief visit to the author's parents, and then, passing on 
to London, he made a short sojourn with his relative, the 
Rev. J. Denham. His holidays in Norfolk were spent in 
visiting friends, in preaching among its numerous towns 
and villages, and in pursuing, with diligence, the studies 
on which he had entered. He relates, with amusing 
detail, the repetition, among a party of villagers, of the 
examples of the Latin syntax as an illustration of his 
skill in acquiring a foreign tongue which, as a missionaiy, 
he might be called to exercise. Everywhere he kept his 
great object in view, reading every missionary publication 
within reach, and taking every opportunity of consulting 
with those who had a practical knowledge of missionary 
work. After one such interview with a retired missionary 
from Ceylon, he says, '* Mr. Griffiths gave me encourage- 
ment to go forward. I feel more decided than ever to 
live ^nd die a missionary. It is my purpose to spend the 
residue of my years in labouring among the * rough and 
savage pagans of the wilderness,' rather than occupy the 
highest position as a minister, in the crowded cities of 
my own land, if the Lord should see fit to qualify me for 



iSii] The Student. 21 

this important work by the inward teachings of His Holy 
Spirit." 

On the I St of August he resumed his studies at 
Chipping Norton. The following months were fully 
occupied with them, only varied by an occasional visit 
to the surrounding villages, or to more distant places, 
for the purpose of " holding forth the Word of Life." 

The vacation, commencing in April, 1821, was chiefly 
spent at Lymington, Hants, with the family of his intimate 
friend, Mr. Mursell. A serious illness, increased in danger 
by exposure on the sea during a dense fog, in which the 
party nearly perished, laid him aside for several weeks. 
Kind care and assiduous nursing brought him safely 
through, after which he returned to Chipping Norton to 
complete the term of his probationary studies with the 
Rev. William Gray. His residence with this devoted 
servant of Christ was a period of unalloyed pleasure. 
The small number of the students gave the party the 
aspect of a family. They lived together ,as brethren and 
friends, looking for a closer and holier fellowship in the 
*• better land " when their work was done. Under the wise 
superintendence of their tutor, their abilities were called 
forth, and an ardent and devout spirit of piety was 
cherished. At the same time, cheerfulness without undue 
levity characterised their intercourse, and the generally 
grave demeanour of the heads of the household did not 
weigh too oppressively on the abounding spirits of its 
younger members. 

In January, 1822, by the direction of the Secretary of 
the Mission, Mr. Phillippo left Chipping Norton for 
Bradford, to complete his preparations for the missionary 
life under the able tutorship of the Rev^ William Stead- 
man, D.D., then President of the Academy at Horton. 
Introduced by a former fellow-student at Chipping Norton, 
Mr. £• Crook, he received a cordial welcome from the 



22 The Student, [1822 

Students, as well as from the venerable Doctor, and im- 
mediately set himself, with his usual diligence, to master 
the studies of the place. His attainments scarcely fitted 
him- for the lessons of the first class in which he was 
placed. But by early rising and a diligent economy of time, 
though at some cost of health, he quickly surmounted 
this difficulty. His imperfect knowledge of Hebrew was 
principally made up during a visit of six weeks to Rich- 
mond, whither he was sent for rest. In the Castle walks, 
and in the solitude of its deserted chambers, he conned 
the grammar of the language, and mastered the first 
chapters of Genesis, so that on his return he was able to 
rejoin the class on equal terms, receiving the commenda- 
tions of his tutor for his industry and perseverance. 

In common with his fellow-students, he was a frequent 
preacher in the villages and hamlets around Bradford. 
Sometimes among the colliers their zeal and patience were 
sorely tested by the savage conduct and blasphemous 
language of groups of free-thinkers, infidels, and Papists, 
with which the district was infested. At other times, odd 
and laughable incidents would happen from the uncouth 
patois of the people, which the students from the South 
could not understand, while, on the other hand, their more 
polished tongue was alike unintelligible to their grimy 
auditors. Opposition was not confined to the lower orders. 
At one village the lady of the squire had herself driven 
one preacher from his stand beneath an overspreading 
tree on the village green. On the following Sabbath Mr. 
Phillippo, with one or two friends, undauntedly challenged 
the same fate. A large crowd assembled to witness the 
collision ; but the lady now sent her bailififs. Whether 
awed by the aspect of the people, or conscious of the 
unworthy nature of their errand, they contented them- 
selves with observing the order of the service, and, af^er 
listening for a time to the earnest appeals of the student- 



1 822] The Student. 23 

preacher to the consciences of his hearers, they left the 
assembly in peace. The "liberty of prophesying" thus 
vindicated^ eventually led to the formation of a prosperous 
Weslejan community and the erection of a chapel very 
near the spot where the first preacher was so roughly 
treated. 



CHAPTER IV. 

HIS DESIGNATION— 1823. 

In the autumn of the year 1823, Mr. Phillippo received 
a communication from Mr. Dyer informing him that the 
Committee had fixed on the Island of Jamaica as the 
sphere of his labours, which also was the destination of 
his friends Phillips and Burchell, whose student-life had 
been passed in Bristol. The East Indies had for the' 
most part occupied his thoughts ; but he cheerfully and 
gratefully at once submitted to the wishes of the Com- 
mittee. It was ever a consolation to him to feel, in 
hours of difficulty and depression, that his lot was not 
chosen by him but for him. He was assured that God, by 
the hands of His servants, had placed him where he was. 
It was clear to his mind that it was his duty there to stay, 
until Providence, by an equally emphatic missive, directed 
his removal from it. 

The time fixed for his departure was the month of 
November, and the period of preparation was short. The 
designation service was fixed for Wednesday, the 23rd 
September. A very large congregation assembled in 
Westgate Chapel, Bradford, to assist at the solemn service, 
the particulars of which were afterwards published in an 
interesting pamphlet.* It may be well to give in some 



•Entitled, ** Services at the Designation of Mr. James Phillippo as 
a Missionary to the Island of Jamaica. Bradford, in Yorkshire, Sep- 
tember 24th, 1823.'' 



1823] Hu Designaiion. 15 

detail the order of the service, and the more so that 
in later times the early practice of Baptist churches on 
the ordination of a minister to his charge has been laid 
aside, probably to the detriment of the pastoral office 
itself, by depriving it of that solemnity and gravity which 
sboold mark a pastor's entrance on his responsible work* 
The Rev. J. Acworth, M.A., of Leeds, commenced by 
reading the Scriptures and offering prayer. The Rev. B. 
Godwin, Mr. Phillippo's classical tutor, delivered the 
introductory discourse and proposed the questions: The 
Rev. I. Mann, M.A., of Shipley, offered the ordination 
prayer, accompanied with the laying on of hands. The 
Rev. Dr. Steadman addressed the charge to Mr. 
Phillippo \ and the Rev. R. Pool, Independent minister of 
Kipping, concluded with prayet. Of these venerable men 
only Dr. Acworth lingers amongst us, the calm evening 
of whose life is brightened by the assured hope of a 
glorious immortality in the presence of the Lord, in whose 
service he has so long been honourably employed. The 
others have left behind them recollections fragrant with 
the holy memory of eminent devotedness and success in 
the vineyard of their Master and Lord. In introducing 
the service, Dr. Acworth said : '* We profess not by this 
service to convey to Mr. Phillippo any powers, or to 
confer on him any qualifications which he does hot 
already possess ; our object is simply to show our cordial 
approbation of him as a person suitably qualified for 
this important undertaking, and to unite in commending 
him to the blessing and protection of God in fervent 
prayer." After this disclaimer of all sacerdotal privilege 
or character, the preacher went on to speak of the 
missionary enterprise itself. He pointed out how con- 
genial missionary efforts are with the spirit and genius of 
Christianity. ''Christianity," he said, "is like the vital 
air, or the light of heaven, needed by all, and suited to all. 



26 His Designation, ['823 

In its invitations it is unlimited, and its promises make 
no distinction of sex, or age, or station, or country, or 
colour. Every Christian feeling prompts to exertions of 
this kind. In our endeavour for the extension of the 
Kingdom of Christ we are acting in accordance with the 
plans and purposes of God. We are treading in the steps 
of the apostolic churches and primitive Christians." Then, 
turning to the youthful minister, he thus described his 
character: — *' In religion he is no novice ; his piety has 
been for years unquestionable. For some time, he has 
given up all secular engagements to devote himself 
entirely to the study of the Scriptures and the acquisition 
of useful learning ; and his progress has been satisfactory. 
His general conduct has been such as to give us no 
apprehension for the future. And we all, who have 
known him, have witnessed the deep interest he has 
taken in all that relates to the salvation of the heathen, 
the animation which the subject of missions has always 
produced, and the sacred ardour which has appeared to 
glow in his breast without interruption, determining him 
to live and die in the work of the missionary." 

The following were the questions which Mr. Godwii 
then addressed to Mr. Phillippo, and to which, with con- 
siderable fulness of detail, he replied :^- 

" I. We shall be glad to hear an account of your con- 
version to God. 2. Will you give us a brief outline 
of your views of Divine Truth? 3. Will you state the 
motives which induce you to engage in the work of a 
Christian missionary, and your views of this important 
undertaking ? " 

The replies were eminently satisfactory; a few sen- 
tences from the answer to the final question will suffice 
to show the spirit in which Mr. Phillippo was entering 
on the work of his life. 

" My desires for this work arise from the firm and 



1823] His Designation, 27 

decided convictions of my judgment, my thoughts having 
for seven years, in a greater or less degree, been exercised 
on the subject. Much less am I induced to engage in so 
arduous an employ, from a vain opinion of my self- 
sufficiency ; for God, who knows my hearti knoweth that 
at this moment I deeply feel my weakness. I esteem 
myself * less than the least of all saints/ and only a babe 
in all the important qualifications requisite for the work. 
Had it not been for the persuasion that, more especially 
to display the exceeding greatness of His power in the 
accomplishment of the mightiest of His designs, God has 
often chosen the ' foolish things of the world, and things 
that are despised,' I had long abandoned the undertaking 
in despair. 

*' The work of a missionary, I am aware, is arduous. I 
am sensible I* shall need much wisdom, much faith, much 
patience, much devotedness to God, and love to precious 
souls ; and, when I reflect on the small proportion of every 
Christian grace that I possess, I am discouraged. The 
sacrifices I must make, and the difficulties I must en- 
counter, I have also steadily contemplated ; but, implicitly 
depending on Almighty aid, none of these things move me, 
neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I may 
finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have 
received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the 
grace of God." 

Dr. Steadman next entered the pulpit, and, with the 
following impressive words, the venerable tutor dismissed 
his scholar to his chosen work :^ 

** By this time you are probably led to exclaim — ^Who is 
sufficient for these things ? In reply, let me entreat you 
to remember that He who appointed the Apostle to his 
course of service said to him, and that upon a very txying 
occasion, 'My grace is sufficient for thee/ He says 
the same to you, and will not fail to make good His 



28 His Designation. [1823 

declaration. To Him, therefore, let your eyes be directed. 
If jou are ready to faint, look ap to Him to encourage 
you — ^if your views of His Gospel be confined and un-r 
animating, look to Him to enlarge and invigorate them-«-> 
if your love to Him wax cold, look to Him to quicken and 
enflame it — if you are at a stand as to the path you must 
pursue, look to Him to direct your steps — if obstacles 
to success seem insurmountable, look to Him for the 
removal of them — if dangers and death surround you on 
every hand, look to Him to inspire you with courage 
superior to them, to enable you to feel safe under His 
protection, to resign your immortal spirit into His hands^ 
and to triumph in the prospect of the 'crown of righteous- 
ness laid up for you, and for all those that love His 
appearing.' " 

It was a solemn moment, and the impression of 
It left an abiding mark on the future life of Mr. 
Phillippo. 

One other necessary preparation had to be made— his 
marriage. While yet a student at Chipping Norton he 
had met with the lady who ultimately became his wife. 
A strong affection ensued, and a few days before his 
departure he was united to Miss Hannah Selina Cecil at 
the parish church of .her native place. This union was 
followed by a long and happy life of conjugal blessedness. 
Mr. Phillippo found in his bride one every way calculated 
to hold up his hands in his arduous and successful 
career. 

In the following lines from a well-known poem on the 
life of a missionary, Mr. Phillippo records the feelings 
with which he entered on his course : — 

"Henceforth, then, 
It matters not if storm or stmshine be 
My earthly lot ; bitter or sweet my cup ; 
I only pray — God fit me for the work ; 



1823] His Designation. 29 

God make me holy, and my spirit nenre 

For the stem hour of strife. Let me but know 

There is an arm nnseen that holds me up, 

An eye that kindly watches all my path 

Till I my weary pilgrimage have done ; 

Let me bat know I have a Friend that waits 

To welcome me to glory ; — and I joy 

To tread the dark and death-fraught wilderness." 



CHAPTER V. 

THE VOYAGE— 1823. 

On Wednesday, the 29th of October, Mr. and Mrs. Phillippo 
sailed from Gravesend in the congenial company of Mr. 
and Mrs. Phillips. Mr. Phillips had been a fellow-student 
at Chipping Norton. The name of the vessel was the 
Ocean^ bound for Honduras, and was the property of a 
well-known friend of the Mission, Mr. G. Fife Angus, by 
whom a free passage was given them to their destination. 
They found in Captain Whittle a courteous and Christian 
friend, who, during an imprisonment at Arras, in France, 
was instrumental in the conversion of the Rev. Thomas 
Godden, the predecessor of Mr. Phillippo in his work at 
Spanish Town. Mr. Godden, in early life, had entered 
the Royal Navy. After several years' service his naval 
career was brought to an end by the ship to which he 
belonged falling a prey to a French cruiser. A captivity 
of eight years followed, in which he met with Captain 
Whittle, like himself a prisoner of war, and by him Mr. 
Godden was led to the Saviour. The voyage began un- 
favourably. The weather was gloomy, the accommodation 
on board inconvenient. They were also ill-prepared for 
the gale which sprang up in the night, and detained them 
for days tossing about in the Downs. Such was the fury 
of the storm that several vessels were driven from their 
moorings, among which the large ship bound for Portugal 
that had on board the celebrated Don Miguel was in great 
jeopardy for many hourF. 



1 823 J T^e Voyage. 31 

Wilh a calmer sea the Ocean trimmed her sails, quickly 
passed down the Channel, and crossed the dreaded Bay of 
Biscay in fine weather. Madeira was reached without any 
special incident. The monotony of the vo3rage was 
pleasantly varied by converse, and by study and religious 
exercises, and in recording the impresjsions which the 
changing aspects of the sea and sky were calculated to 
produce. The mind of Mr. Phillippo was from his 
earliest years peculiarly susceptible of the beauties of 
nature, and his diaries frequently contain sketches of the 
scenery through which, in his many journeys, he passed. 
Thus, in the latitude of the trade-winds, he speaks of the 
** beauty of repose upon the sea *' created by ** the un- 
intermitting sunshine." The world of waters, spread out 
on every side, *'was tinted with lines of most delicate 
colour. Pathways of beryl, emerald, amethyst, and pearl 
were traced upon the surface of the deep, sometimes 
stirred by a flood of restless and insufferable lustre 
poured forth by the orb of day,'' and be thought of that 
crystal sea which is ever before the throne of God and 
the Lamb. 

Proceeding. Southward, the night watches disclosed a 
new heaven to his excited gaze. Its calm depths, in- 
tensely blue and gloriously bright, revealed innumerable 
stars unknown to dwellers in Northern latitudes. One 
night he relates how the constellations seemed to glow 
with unusual splendour. ^* Jupiter and Saturn appeared 
nearly touching each other, shining with a steady lustre 
in the north-east. In the zenith and in the north the 
fixed stars were sown so thickly that they seemed to 
twinkle all at once, and the galaxy gleamed beyond them, . 
as it were the twilight of eternity. It was a spectacle of 
wonder and beauty, whose silence spoke to the soul in 
language that may be felt, but not uttered. I forgot 
ever}'thing entirely for the time. The hope of immortality 



32 2^ Voyage. [1823 

carried adoring thoughts to the footstool of the throne of 
Him who liveth for ever and ever." On snch evenings 
the friends would linger on deck till a late hour> often 
giving relief to their feelings in sacred song, ming- 
ling therewith thoughts of home, of the dear ones left 
behind, and of the unknown life that awaited them in the 
land towards which their eyes were ever turned. 

The course of the vessel gave the voyagers a sight of 
the varied* but grand and fertile, scenery of the islands -of 
Guadaloupe, Antigua, and Porto Rico, and on the i8th 
December the Blue Mountains of Jamaica were seen on 
the horizon. The majestic heights of this magnificent 
range were before them, distinct and clear, as though cut 
out on the dark blue sky. On the following day they 
reached land at Point Morant. They were soon boarded 
by negro boatmen, who demanded exorbitant fares to 
carry them ashore. With some trouble they at length 
landed, and were glad to accept the hospitality of a 
Scotch gentleman, a storekeeper of the place. The 
readiness of their reception for a moment made them 
imagine they were the guests of an hotel-keeper, but 
they soon found that, then as now, hotel accommodation 
is rarely to be met with in Jamaica. The owner of the 
house was absent, but, returning in the evening, he gave 
them a warm welcome* Early the following morning, 
after a bountiful breakfast, they started for Kingston, 
forty miles distant, by boat, laden by their host with fresh 
fruit and other necessaries for the long day's voyage 
before them. Mr. Phillippo writes : — " The sea was calm, 
the land breeze having died away, and the early freshness 
of the day was most delightful. We beguiled the 
tediousness of the way by singing favourite hymns, 
reciting pieces of sacred poetry, but especially by 
observations on the novelty, the beauty, and the magnifi* 
cence of the coast sceneiy. A flood of gloiy was shed 



^Mm^PVi^^^p^HPaawv^^Bw^wB^ 



1823] The Voyage. 53 

over the entire landscape at noon, but towards evening 
the spectacle of splendour gradually diminished, the 
atmosphere became densd, the brightness of the sunset 
faded away, and a blue mist rose from the sea and 
enveloped us on every side.** The haze partially con- 
cealed from them the long spit of land known as The 
P^sadeSy which closes in the harbour of Kingston. It 
was dark as they rowed by the gibbeted bodies of a 
notorious gang of pirates that had lately infested these 
seas, but about nine o'clock they safely landed under the 
guns of the fort of Port Royal. '^ The cheering of the 
sailors," says Mr. Phillippo, ''the lights from the ship- 
ping and the shore, made us, for a moment, think that our 
passage from England was a dream.'' 

** On landing we were taken," be continues, '' to the house 
of a respectable widow of colour, a Mrs. Thomas, a 
member of the Baptist church at Kingston. The house was 
soon crowded with coloured people. We were welcomed 
with the liveliest cordiality by our hostess and her pious 
friends* Among them was a Mrs. Freeman, a good old black 
woman, well known among sailors who visit this port from 
England and elsewhere for her generous kindness in 
poverty and sickness. On the following morning, the 21st 
December, being the Sabbath, we were taken in a boat to 
Kingston by two black men, members of the East Queen 
Street Church, and conducted to the mission-house, forcing 
our way through the dense masses that thronged the market- 
place, almost stunned by the loud vociferations of the 
traffickers. We were soon visited by brethren Tinson and 
Thomas Knibb and their wives, Mr. and Mrs. Coultart, the 
missionaries of the station, being then in England. At 
eleven o'clock we attended the service, Mr. Knibb 
preaching in the morning, and Mr. Tinson in the 
afternoon, to immense congregations. Both of them, 

by their pale appearance, impressed us unfavourably 

o 



34 The Vqyagi. [1813 

with regard to the climate in which we were about 
to live." 

Mr. and Mrs. Phillippo remained in Kingston till 
Christmas-day was past, when they left the companions of 
their voyage in charge of the station, which arrangement 
continued till the arrival of Mr. Coultart in the following 
April. 



CHAPTER VL 

SETTLEMENT AT SPANISH TOWN— 1824. 

Thb Christmas carnival over, Mr. Phillippo on the next 

day paid his first visit to Spanish Town, to which station 

he had been appointed by the Committee of the 

Missionary Society, and which he continued to occupy till 

within two or three years of his departure, at a good old 

age, to his rest. The ancient name of the place was St. 

Jago de la Vega. It was at that time the capital of the 

island, which it continued to be till a few years ago, when 

the Government offices were removed to Kingston. Mr. 

Phillippo has left on record the following description of 

the city in his interesting work on Jamaica :-— 

** Spanish Town is situated on the banks of the Rio 

Cobre, nearly at the extremity of a noble plain, bounded 

by the Cedar Valley Mountains on the N. and N.W., and 

is six miles distant from the sea at Port Henderson and 

Passage Fort. A large square occupies the centre of the 

town, formed by public buildings in the Spanish American 

style, which are extensive, and display considerable 

architectural taste. Government House, including 

beneath the same roof the Council Chamber, the Court of 

Chancery, and various other offices, occupies the whole of 

the west side. It was erected by the colonists at a cost 

of /*5o,ooo» A range of equal extent, called the House 

of Assembly, but which includes the County Court-house, 

and the offices of judicial and other functionaries, stands 

directly opppsite. At one epd of the northern range is 

D 2 



36 Settlement at Spanish Town. [1S24 

the Arsenal and Guard-house ; at the other, the offices of 
the Island Secretary, connected by a temple that contains 
a statue of Lord Rodney, erected in commemoration of 
his victory over the French fleet in 1782, and a beautiful 
semi-circular colonnade* A range on the south side 
contains magnificent rooms for public amusement, and 
offices for miscellaneous public purposes* A considerable 
portion of the area thus formed contains a garden in 
beautiful order, intersected by gravel walks, ornamented 
by choice trees, flowers, and shrubs, and protected from 
spoliation by elegant palisades. The barracks, the 
church, the Wesleyan chapel, and the premises of the 
Baptist Missionary Society, in addition to a few beautiful 
villas that adorn the suburbs of the town, are the principal 
objects of attraction to the stranger. The population is 
estimated at about 10,000." * 

The mission premises referred to were not the buildings 
that awaited his occupation in 1824. On entering 
Spanish Town, he found the streets crowded with 
Christmas revellers, whose hideous yells and revolting 
attitudes, with the rough music of their African ancestry, 
deafened the ears of the missionary and his companions 
as they almost forced their way to the mission-house. An 
unsightly brick wall formed an enclosure (once the 
artillery ground) containing a dwelling of two rooms 
with a piazza. It was inconvenient and dirty^ and the 
walls of the dilapidated interior were daubed with lamp- 
black as a protection to the eyes of a former occupant. 
Miserable as was the outlook, Mr. and Mrs, Phillippo set 
to work with characteristic courage, and soon rendered 
the place fairly habitable. 

These were not the original premises of the mission. 



* *' Jamaica : its Past and Present State/' by James M. Phillippo, c^ 
Spanish Town, Jamaica (London: John Snow ; 1843), p. 63. 



i8z43* Settlement at Spanish Town. 37 

They had been purchased as a temporary residence on 
the burning down of the mission- house^ by an incendiary 
handy on the evening of the 17th July, 1820. The station - 
owed its origin to the labours of the Rev. Thomas Godden^ 
who came to Spanish Town in ApriU 18 19. At first, he 
was not permitted openly to preach the Gospel; but, 
having obtained a licence, on the nth of the following 
Jaly he preached for the first time from the words, 
" What think ye of Christ ? '* 

His congregations were immediately large. The en- 
thusiasm of the people was beyond description* In the 
early part of the following year a considerable number of 
persons were baptized^ and a church was formed with 
every token of prosperity. Mr. Godden's labours were, 
however, soon interrupted by sickness, which was greatly 
increased by his narrow escape from being burnt in his 
bed on the night of the fire, and by the early death of his 
wife« In 1823 he was compelled to return to England, 
shortly after which he expired at Lawrence Hill^ near 
Bristol, '' faithful unto death." 

Mr. and Mrs. Phillippo were scarcely settled in their 
wretched habitation, when the difficulties of the work 
began to make themselves felt. From a very early period, 
the planters had shown a most determined hostility to the 
propagation of the Gospel among their slaves. But the 
first organised effort to stop the work took place in 1802, 
when a Mr. Taylor, of the parish of Trelawney, by his 
influence with the House of Assembly, obtained an " Act 
to prevent preaching by persons not duly qualified by 
law,'' which was at once approved by the Lieutenant-* 
Governor, Nugent.* The Act was disallowed by the home 
authorities, amidst the bitter remonstrances and indigna- 

• " History of Jamaica," by W. J. Gardner (London : Stock; 1873), 

p. 348 



38 Settlement at Spanish Town. [1S24 

tion of the planters, but not before several Weslejan 
ministers had been silenced. Other similar attempts to 
repress the Word of God followed, in the teeth of the 
strongly expressed orders of the English Government to 
the Governors of Jamaica to veto all such measures. But 
in 1823 this hostility assumed a form of more than nsual 
virulence. It sprang out of the action taken by Mr. 
Thomas Fowell Buxton in the House of Commons* In 
March of that year that eminent man brought forward 
a resolution declaring that slavery was repugnant to the 
principles of the British Constitution and of the Christian 
religion, and that it ought to be gradually abolished 
throughout the British dominions* It was not adopted, 
but a resolution of a similar, though less comprehensive, 
kind was carried by Mr. Canning and commended by 
him to the consideration of the colonial legislature. 

"This mild recommendation was received," says Mr. 
Phillippo, *' with indignation, and finally rejected with 
contempt and scorn. Ebullitions of feeling against the 
missionaries of different denominations, but against the 
Baptist missionaries in particular, were now more violent 
than ever. They were denounced by the white portion of 
the populace, by the press, and by the colonial legisla- 
ture as being in league with the Anti-Slavery Society, by 
whom the Government was instigated to effect their ruin. 
They were frequently cited before Committees of the 
House of Assembly for the most contemptible of purposes, 
harassed with warrants for not serving in the militia, cir- 
cumscribed and impeded by oppressive laws, and treated 
with all the indignity and virulence which prejudice and 
mortified tyranny could dictate." 

It was in this state of affairs that Mr. Phillippo 
presented himself to the authorities to ask permis* 
sion to preach. He laid before them at a court of 
quarter sessions his credentials from the Society, the 



18243 Seitlemeni at Spanish Town. 39 

recommendatioBS of his brother missionaries, together 
with the testimony of an excellent Christian gentleman 
residing in Spanish Town, Major Anderson, of the 91st 
R^menU Two of the three magistrates present angrily 
objected to grant the licence, on the frivolous ground 
that the signatures on the paper were not accompanied by 
the seals of the signatories. Notwithstanding the re* 
monstrances of the Chairman, who was the Custos of the 
parish, the licence was peremptorily refused. To return 
home to England, bafiSed in his object, Mr. Phillippo was 
resolved not to do, even though, as he told the magis** 
tratesy he were made to wait seven years for their 
permission.* The scandalous conduct of the majority 
of the bench was reflected in the insulting language and 
demeanour of^the attendants in the court. 

Four or five months necessarily elapsed, in those days 
of sailing vessels, before another certificate, having the 
names and seals of the leading ministers of the denomi- 
nation, was received from England. It was immediately 
taken to the Custos, who at once pronounced it satisfactory, 
and gave Mr* Phillippo leave to preach till the next sessions 

* It may be well to pieserve the following characteristic account of 
this incident, taken from a colonial paper, under date of July 10, 1824 :— - 

** At a oomt of quarter sessions, held in this town on Tuesday, an 
appHcatioQ was made by the Rev. James Phillippo, a Baptist mission* 
axy, for leave to preach in this parish, but the documents he produced, 
bdng without a known seal or signature, were considered unsatisfac* 
tory, and leave was refused. He was informed that, in the present 
perilons state of these colonies, it became the duty of the magistrates 
to be extremely cautious in granting such permissions ; more especially 
as many of the sectaries in the mother country had declared their 
avowed intention of effecting our ruin, and had united in becoming 
pablidy and clamorously the justifieis of such a man as Smith, whose 
seditions practices in Demerara had been proved by the dearest 
evidence. The papers now produced had several signatures, all, no 
doubt, sectaries, and, in all probability, ranking among the number of 
our enemies. Such questionable recommendations could not be 



40 Settlement at Spanish Town. [1S24 

were held. The congregations were large, the people 
animated with hope, and the prospects cheering. They 
were, however, doomed to disappointment. Amid the 
insults of the clerk of the peace, and the supercilioas 
sneers of a crowded auditory, Mr. Fhillippo presented his 
new credentials to the court. But the document was again 
coQtemptuously rejected. It was declared to be nothing 
better than waste paper, being without the sanction and 
seal of the Lord Mayor of London ! If the result gave 
pleasure to those connected with the planting interest, 
the coloured and black people were smitten with grief. 
Many wept aloud. Prayer-meetings and religious services 
were set up and multiplied in private houses, until more 
months elapsed and the required affidavits were procured* 
Meanwhile, further annoyances were in store for the 
missionary. Though seriously ill, he was suddenly 
arrested by two young officers of the militia, on a 
summons that he had not, according to law, enrolled 
himself in the militia*. The president of the court would ' 
not listen to the plea that he was a minister of the Gospel. 
He was enrolled and dismissed amid the jeers of the officers 
present. Three months' leave of absence was granted 

attended to, nor any but such as came supported by authorised seals 
and well-known signatures. We sincerely hope this example will be 
followed throughout the island, for there never was a time when more 
caution was required from the magistrates. The fears we have for 
some time laboured imder, from the efforts of the saints and sectaries 
in England, seconded by many of our mistaken iriends, have induced 
us to be much too easy in permitting preachers and teachers of all 
descriptions to be introduced among us, greatly to the injury of the 
slaves ; and it would, perhaps, be a very useful inquiry, in every 
parish, to ascertain the reduction in comforts they have experienced by 
the fasts imposed uppn them, and the moneys they are obliged to 
contribute, out of their slender means, towards the support of their 
teachers. This is a consideration which, in the end, may prove, per- 
haps, of as much importance to the welfare of the idand as the 
suppression even of seditious practice! ." 



18243 Seiilemehf at Spanish Town. 41 

- - 

him ; but, as the term expired before the arrival of the 
Lard Major^s seal, he was again summoned. On this 
occasion, the marshal of the regiment came to the Lord's* 
day morning service^ and> flourishing the warrant* in the 
preacher's face, demanded his immediate surrender, or the 
payment of the fine. The attitude of the congregation seems 
to have cowed this boisterous and insulting agent of the law» 
and he retired, threatening the next day either to carry 
Mn Fhillippo to gaol, or to levy the fine on his goods. 
Two attempts were made to free Mr. Phillippo from 
militia duty, and a protection order was at length obtained 
from the Governor, the Duke of Manchester ; but it was 
not till the court which sat on the 7th January, 1825, when 
his credentials, attested by Lord Mayor Waithman's 
signature and seal, were presented, that the licence, which 
could no longer be refused, was duly granted, to the ex- 
treme vexation of his antagonists. '* How,'* says Mr. 
Phillippo, " shall I describe the scene which followed I 
Crowds pressed onward along the streets towards the 
mission premises, and I was received by the multitude 
with clamorous congratulations and unbounded expres- 
sions of joy. The whole of the morning had been spent 



• It may be interesting to preserve this curious document. It runs 
thus: — 

"Jamaica. St. Catharine. 

** Yon are hereby authorised to require and levy on the goods and 
chattels of James Fhillippo, private of the Light Infantry Company, the 
sum of 20s., being due for absence at a muster on the i ith of Decem- 
ber, being for the said offence, and for default of goods and chattels 
whereon a levy can be made, to take his body to the common gaol, 
there to remain, without bail or mainprize, for the space of twenty- 
four horns, agreeable to the militia law now in force. 

" Given under my hand and seal, this i ith day of December, in the 
year of our Lord, Oiie thousand eight hundred and twenty-four. 

"To Mr. D. Fonseca, ''J. G. JACKSON, Col, 

••St. Cath. Regt." 



42 Seitlenunt at Spanish Town. [182^ 

by the chnrch in fasting and prayer, and the day was closed 
with thanksgiving and praise. On the following Sabbath I 
commenced my stated labours, after a delay of upwards of 
twelve months, with audiences that crowded the chapel 
and the premises around." 

The weary months of waiting had not been wasted. 
Mr. Fhillippo had begun the preparations for a new 
chapel. He had also announced his intention of opening 
a school, and in the course of a few days after his 
advertisement appeared he received numerous applica* 
tions for admission, among which were twenty from 
Jewish parents, Jews forming a numerous and influential 
portion of the Jamaica community. A Sabbath-school 
and a Bible-class were formed. He had also visited the 
neighbouring towns, preaching wherever the prohibition 
was either not known or not regarded. Nor was he 
without the discipline of sorrow, arising from the illness of 
himself and his dear wife, and the trial which befell them 
in the death of their eldest child. Nevertheless, amidst 
every discouragement and trial, his faith failed not. He 
felt that he was *' in the Lord's hand, to live or to die as 
might be His will." 



CHAPTER VII. 

COMMENCEMENT OF REGULAR LABOURS— 

1825 TO 1826. 

With the opening of the year 1825, Mr. Phillippo was 
able to devote himself, without fear of any farther claim 
npon him for military dnty, to the great object of his life. 
A despatch from the Colonial Secretary, Earl Bathurst, 
was received, giving instmctions that not only Mr. 
Phillippo, but all ministers of religion, and all school- 
masters sent oat by Christian societies at home, should be 
held free from militia service and from attendance on juries 
throughout the colonies. Not that Mr. Phillippo was entirely 
free from molestation or from many petty annoyances within 
the reach of the enemies of the Gospel. One day he was 
informed that the rector of the parish had made an 
affidavit before the magistrates that he had interfered 
with his rights and duties as chaplain of the gaol, by 
visiting a poor man under sentence of death, although it 
was done at the convict's own request. The excitement 
of this incident had hardly subsided before Mr. Phillippo 
was brought before the bench of magistrates for harbour- 
ing persons (that is, slaves) on the mission premises 
before six o*clock in the morning and after sunset in the 
evening. The occasion was a public baptism on the 
premises. Soon after he was cited again on a similar 
charge of baptizing in the river Rio Cobre. Indeed 
scarcely a month passed without a summons to meet some 
frivolous complaint of violating law or order. 



44 Commencement of Regular Labours, L'^^5 

Towards the close of the year the hostility of the so- 
called '' aristocracy of Jamaica '^ culminated in the 
passing of a new slave law by the House of Assembly. It 
was styled in the original motion : *' An Ordinance to 
prevent the profanation of religious rites, and of false 
worshipping of God, under pretence of preaching and 
teaching by illiterate ai\d ill-disposed persons, and the 
mischief consequent thereupon." It was, in fact, a revival 
of an old law first enacted in 1816. 

''The object of one section,'' writes Mr. Fhillippo, 
" was said to be to show to the religious, or ' Religio- 
Politico Missionaries,' that the magistrates had not only 
power to prevent their prostituting Christianity for the 
purposes of sedition, and to forewarn their audiences of 
the serious evils that contumacy and resistance bring upon 
them, but to prevent the slaves from contributing their 
own money and other means for religious objects, and the 
missionaries from receiving it from them under a heavy 
penalty." 

On the motion of Mr. Buxton in the House of 
Commons this law was vetoed by Mr. Canning, who was 
then Prime Minister. This exercise of Royal authority 
was met by the planting interest with an outbreak of 
wrath and bitterness, and an attempt to pass yet more 
cruel aiid oppressive enactments. It was Mr. Canning's 
wish to give the owners of slaves time to prepare for 
the inevitable period of emancipation. But, in a violent 
address of the Assembly to the King, they declared that 
'' it was a false assumption that the slaves were either ill' 
treated or unhappy. They recapitulated their own 
sufferings, as planters, in consequence of English wars 
and war duties ; said they had never taken an oath of 
allegiance to the English Parliament, and would not 
submit to the degradation of having their internal aflfairs 
regulated by a body whose power in Great Britain was 



18253 Commeruement of Regular Labours. 45 

not greater thaa their owa in Jamaica/' * Such lofty 
language and undisguised threats of rebellion we shall 
find recnrring again and again daring the struggle for the 
destruction of slavery, which had now earnestly begun. 

The difficulties of his position did not, however, deter 

Mr, Phillippo from prosecuting with untiring energy his 

plans for the erection of a chapel suitable to the wants of 

the station ; and truly it was greatly needed* ** The Word 

of God was not bound." Crowded audiences wherever he 

preached evinced the intense desire of the slaves for the 

knowledge of the consoling truths of the Gospel. On the 

6th of November, he writes to his mother-in-law ; — ^".My 

congregation increases astonishingly. Last Sabbath 

evening there were more hearers outside than within. 

The school also prospers beyond my most sanguine 

expectations. The present number of. scholars is 150, 

forty of whom are children of Jewish parents, and it is not 

a little surprising that almost all voluntarily attend the 

Sonday-schooU which 1$ now very large and prosperous, 

and practically superintended by my dear wife. ^ Oh, for a 

heart to praise my God I * My dear wife is at present in 

good health. We are not. only both of us happy in our 

work, but also in ourselves." 

In urging on the Secretary of the Society that he should 
receive some aid from home towards the erection, of the 
large stmctnre he required to accommodate his growing 
congregation, he says : — *'I conscientiously declare that I 
never ascend the pulpit but at the risk of my life. I am 
in a tropical climate, a small place of worship, the pulpit 
only two feet from the floor, and my head nearly touching 
the ceiling, a congregation literally packed together, some 
standing on the pulpit stairs even to the top ; the rays of 
the sun piercing through the shattered roof, not a breath 

' ' ' - » I !■■ !■■,■■- 

* Gardner s Historyi p. 2^9. 



46 Commencement 0/ Regular Labours, [1825 

of air stirriaf , every avenue to its admission stopped up 
bf the crowds—^all this» from which you must be 
convinced that the heat must be almost insupportable and 
the disadvantages in other respects incalculable. I assure 
you I feel it to be so. On going into my chamber after 
having exerted myself to make all the people hear, I have 
felt myself so enfeebled by excessive perspiration that I 
have been hardly able to stand. For two or three days 
afterwards I have felt the effects. I am sure if the Com- 
mittee knew all the circumstances, they would never let it 
be said that the cause at Spanish Town droops, and that 
Mr. Phillippo is dead, for the sake of a few hundred 
pounds." 

If further reasons were required, they might be found in 
the constantly increasing number of the members of the 
church. On Mr. Phillippo's arrival the church consisted 
of about two hundred and fifty persons, all black people, 
with the exception of three or four white and brown persons. 
In the course of the year 1825, he added many more. 
Thus, on the ist of May, he records the baptism of sixty 
candidates,* besides some forty others in an earlier month. 

The appeal was not in vain. Considerable sums were 
received from England ; and he tells us, ** I was much 
engaged in collecting funds for the erection of the new 
chapeL In addition to monthly contributions by the 
people, I obtained, by personal application to the most 
respectable inhabitants of the town, upwards of £\^o 
currency, several of them my former opponents."t It is 

* One of the persons baptized was a well-proportioned, intelligent 
black man, perfectly blind, who, with all his companions on the slave 
ship, had been cruelly deprived of sight to prevent their rising in 
mutiny, on the appearance of some symptoms of resistance during the 
passage. 

t Mr. Phillippo notes that ^10 14s. 4d. currency was given by an 
old Court House antagonist.. 



18253 Commencement of Regular Labours. 47 

gratifying to see that at this early period of his missionary 
career the Christian, courteous demeanour and strict 
integrity of Mr. Phillippo had won general respect and 
esteem, even from many of his adversaries. He soon 
obtained sufficient means to justify him in proceeding to 
bnild, and the memorial-stone of the new chapel was laid 
on the 1 3th of November. ''Very interesting and impressive 
services/' he says, ** were conducted on the occasion by 
brethren Coultart and Tinson, and listened to with great 
apparent attention and interest by the very large assemblage 
on the occasion." The building was planned of large dimen- 
sions, of red brick, and estimated to cost £Sj^oo currency* 
exclusive of furniture and the enclosure of the premises by 
a wall and railing. Slaves, under his daily superintendence, 
were almost entirely employed in its erection, giving the 
time they could spare from the cultivation of their own 
provision grounds. 

From the commencement of his work in Jamaica, Mr. 
Phillippo had been impressed with the importance of 
education as an invaluable instrument in the elevation of 
the people, and as necessary to prepare them for freedom. 
He therefore lost no time in laying the foundation of an 
institution which later on became a very prominent 
branch of his labours. Some years afterwards he thus 
records its commencement : — " On or about the 5th of May 
I established a private school and a Lancastrian school. 
The one for the education of scholars in the higher 
departments of elementary knowledge, classical and 
literary, admitted on regular terms (of payment), which was 
conducted by myself. The other for the gratuitous 
instruction of children of the poorer classes, slave and 
free. On the. first public advertisement of my purpose, 
and for months— I may say years — the press poured out 
torrents of abuse from day to day, attributing to me the 
basest motives, and as acting under the influence of a 



48 CommenceMini of Regular Labours. [1825 

pseudo-philanthropic crew who sought the aggrandisement 
of themselves by destroying the institutions of the country 
and jeopardising the lives of the colonists. Some of the 
most influential inhabitants of the town actually called to 
remonstrate with me, saying I was about to revolutionise 
the country by attempting to put the slaves on an equality 
with white men, tendering them discontented with their 
condition/' One gentleman of high position, finding 
remonstrances with the husband inefficacious, actually 
visited Mrs. Phillippo to urge her to stop him in the 
dangerous course he had resolved to pursue. ^ The school 
was opened under the charge of a young man whose 
salary, as well as the cost of the necessary furniture of the 
school-room, was provided from the receipts of the high 
school. After a few months the health of the teacher 
broke down, and for some time both schools were 
conducted by Mr. Phillippo on the ground floor of his 
dwelling. This amalgamation of white, coloured, and 
black, slave and free, in one school gave great offence to 
the parents of the better classes, and that part of his 
project failed till he was able to re-establish the institution 
afresh, with the assistance rendered by the Missionary 
Committee and the Society of Friends. 

The molestation to which Mr. Phillippo had been 
exposed in Spanish Town did not extend to his efforts to 
introduce the Gospel into Passage Fort and Old Harbour, 
villages on the coast, about six miles from the capital. 
The scenery around Passage Fort is peculiarly lovely* 
••The sea or harbour," says Mr. Phillippo, "is nearly 
surrounded with long reaches of land glittering as with 
emeralds in the golden sun, waving trees and shrubs 
dropping their branches into the water. The smooth 
sands of the beach are covered with shells, sparkling with 
all the hues of the prism* Birds of beautiful plumage 
skim over the surface of the silver sea, and glance in and 



i8z53 Commencement of Regular Labours, 49 

oat from groves laden with fruits and flowers. The 
harboar, landlocked bj these flowery labjrinths, retains its 
tranqnillity even daring the tempests of the summer 
months. Across the harbour may be seen the town of 
Kingston and the embrasures of Fort Augustus, and, 
beyond, the magnificent Blue Mountains, well defined on 
the clear blue sky*" Here Mr. Phillippo had the happiness 
of baptisfing into Christ many converts daring his long 
ministry, and at Old Harbour of directing the building of 
a large chapel for the use of the increasing numbers that 
flocked to the services from the country round.* It was 
accomplished by the loving toil of slaves anxious to 
provide themselves with a house for the worsh'ip of God, 
working during the bright moonlight nights after their 
day's tasks were done. Mr. Phillippo's visits to these 
stations were chiefly made in the evenings of the week. 

The last part of the year 1825, with the early months of 
the following one, was a time of pleasant and encouraging 
labour in Spanish Town» His enemies were made to be 
at peace with him* Writing to the Committee under date 
of September 19, he says :— " All hostility has ceased, and 
persecntion hides its head. My congregation continues 
overflowing. Nor am I without witnesses of the power 
and efficacy of sovereign grace. Many, I hope, are 
earnestly imploring mercy through the blood of Christ. 
If I recollect rightly, about fifty more are candidates for 
baptism. One is an elderly lady of colour, in circumstances 



* At a baptism of thirty-six persons at Old Harbour in the middle of 
the year, Mr. Phillippo notes particularly the benefit derived by a lame 
froman at the celebration of the rite. She "went down" intp the 
water on her crutches, which she laid aside at the moment of her 
immersion. She did not need to resume them on rising from the 
water, and fh>m that moment recovered the complete and healthy use 
of her limbs. " She gave," says Mr. Phillippo, "evidence of unusual 
£uth and devotedness to the period of her death, several years after." 

S 



50 Commencement of Regular Labours. [1826 

of affluence. A little time ago^ she was proud and 
scornful ; but now, O delightful spectacle I she is sitting at 
the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in her right mind. Believe 
me, with travelling and preaching, the school, the chapel, 
the church, and a variety of other engagements, I sometimes 
feel nearly exhausted. Hitherto*, however, ' the Lord hath 
helped me/ and, I hope, * stood by and strengthened me,^ 
I do not shrink from labour ; I trust that I feel an increasing 
desire to * work while it is called to-day ; ' but my kind 
friends, who have had greater experience of the influence 
of the climate than I, are constantly telling me that I am 
doing what is impossible for any man in Jamiaica to do 
long." 

Five months later he writes : — 

** My school increases beyond my most sanguine ex- 
pectations. I have now 140 children, thirty of whom are 
children of Jewish parents who read the New Testament 
daily. One, of about thirteen or fourteen years of age, 
is the son of the Rabbi of this town. Several of the 
number, from the inferior circumstances of their parents, 
I have taken into the school gratuitously. About thirty of 
my scholars are advanced considerably beyond the limits 
of the system in arithmetic ; some are in mensuration and 
fractions. Many learn Latin, Hebrew, geography, and 
grammar. You know my other duties; and when I 
inform you that for three months past I have had no one 
to assist me, and the school to organise, that I am obliged 
to superintend the building of the chapel and exert 
myself for subscriptions towards it, I am confident that 
you will be convinced that I not only require assistance* 
but will forward it to me as expeditiously as possible. Nor 
(s the prosperity of my school establishment my only en- 
couragement. God has graciously condescended to smile 
on my ministerial exertions. Since my arrival here, I 
think no one has had greater reason for gratitude to the 



1826] Commencement of Regular Labours, 51 

Father of Mercies. Some little time ago, I had the 
happiness of adding to the charch about sixty individuals 
whose conduct hitherto appears to be *such as becometh 
the Gospel of Christ.' " 

The assistance for which Mr. Phillippo so earnestly 
longed reached him on the 7th of June, when Mr. Edward 
Bajlis arrived from England, and at once undertook the 
management of the school. He also assisted Mr. Phillippo 
in the ministerial work at Spanish Town and Old Harbour 
until, in the month of April, 1827, he was removed to a 
new station at Mount Charles, some thirty-six miles 
distant. But he continued for^ome time longer to preach 
at Old Harbour on alternate Sabbaths. 

In the first months of 1825, the bad health of Mrs, 
Phillippo was the source of great sorrow and anxiety to 
her husband, occasioned by the perfidy of a trusted 
servant. The premature confinement brought on en<» 
dangered for many days the life of his beloved partner, 
while the loss of the child was. the cause of deep dis- 
appointment It was the third child in succession that 
death had torn from their embrace. One brief extract 
from Mr. Phillippo's diary will sufficiently disclose the 
feelings with which he regarded this bitter trial : — ^* I 
cannot, will not, dare not repine I O Thou All-wise and 
ever-blessed God, my Father and my Friend, assist me 
rather to rejoice for having spared to me the dearest 
object of my tenderest, fondest, earthly love. Is not this 
more than I ought to have expected P Dear brother and 
sister Knibb were here, and have been witnesses of the 
sad, sad scene ; I am truly grateful for their sympathising 
and friendly aid." He also found support in the warm 
and affectionate words of his people: "Dear minister, 
don't grieve so much ; don't you often tell us that it is 
wrong to sorrow as those without hope, and that we must 

thank God for all things ? God is too good to us poor 

£ 2 



52 Commencement of Regular Labours. [1827 

sintiers« What minister do, if God take missos, and left ' 
the child ? " 

The weakness entailed on Mrs. Phillippo, and also the 
pressure on the health of the husband, led them 
to resort to the salubrioos mountain air of the district 
around Spanish Town, where at Red Hill, St. John's, they 
found a temporary shelter in a hired house. From this 
residence they were soon driven by the intolerable 
multitudes of rats which constantly invaded their rooms 
at night, and even in the day the house was not entirely 
free from their inroads. Another cottage was obtained at 
Garden HilL Here, on his weekly journeys from Spanish 
Town, Mr. Phillippo was in the hs^it of preaching every 
evening to the large numbers of slaves who came together 
from the estates of the neighbourhood. A station was 
ultimately formed in the district as the result of his 
energetic toil* The health of Mrs. Phillippo received, 
however, no permanent benefit, so that in the month 
of March, 1827, her husband was constrained, with 
feelings of deep grief, to send her to her native land. 
From this visit she derived the greatest benefit, and re- 
joined her husband early in the following year, refreshed 
in body and mind, and able to restmie her needed duties 
in the family and school. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

OPENING OF THE NEW CHAPEL— 1827. 

On the i8th of February, 1827, Mr. Phillippo's labours in 
the erection of the new chapel were brought to an end, 
and he had the happiness on this opening day to see 
its spacious interior crowded with a deeply interested 
congregation. He speaks in the warmest terms of the 
spirit which had animated the people. ** The interest," he 
says, writing on the 7th of August preceding, '' the people 
take in the new chapel is astonishing. The steadiness 
and zeal with which they adhere to their determination of 
affording all the pecuniary aid in their power, the cheer- 
fulness with which they bring their offerings, and the 
universal harmony which prevails among them, cannot 
fail to animate my zeal and warm my heart. Many free 
persons of colour both in the church and congregation 
actually submit to the greatest drudgery, solely that they 
may present the profits thereof as an offering to the 
house of God." In a long letter to his beloved tutor. 
Dr. Steadman, he relates at length the particulars of the 
opening services. A few extracts will be interesting : — 

" The chapel is now finished. It is a substantial and 
peculiarly neat building, estimated to accommodate from 
twelve to 1,500 hearers. The site it occupies is excellent* 
The premises form a large square, or nearly so, enclosed 
with palisades attached to neat brick pillars, and almost 
surrounded by public roads* On the west aide, 
commanding a view of three roads, stands the school, on 



54- Opening of the New ChapeL ['827 

the front of which appears in large printed letters, ' The 
Lancastrian Institution.' Between, and in front of the 
chapel and the school, there is an area of abont a 
hundred feet, on which are growing in verdure and beauty 
orange and other ever-blooming, ever-bearing fruit-trees. 
The chapel was crowded to excess. Upwards of two 
thousand persons, with those who could not gain admission, 
were present on the occasion. Numbers came from Port 
Royal, many from a distance of thirty or forty miles, and 
multitudes from Kingston* The road, I am told, from 
the latter place exhibited the day previous every sign of 
life and motion. Some were in chsuses, some in carts, 
some in wains drawn by oxen, some on horseback, and 
not a few on foot, bearing in baskets on their heads their 
better garments for the morrow." 

*' On the morning of the day brother Tinson preached 
a very appropriate sermon from Isa* Iv. 10, if. In 
the afternoon one no less suitable and edifying was 
delivered by brother Flood from Ps. cxzii. x. The 
hymns were given out, and the devotional services con- 
ducted, by brother William Knibb, brother Baylis, and 
myself. It was indeed an interesting day I The pleasure 
it was calculated to create in our minds can scarcely be 
conceived by those who have never beheld the marked 
attention, the decent appearance, and the motley aspect 
of a West Indian congregation* The collection amounted 
to £%^ 6s. 8d." 

Notwithstanding the liberality of the slaves, and of 
many well-wishers in the island, and the still larger 
contributions from England, about jfj^ooo remained as a 
debt, which, for some years, caused Mr. Phillippo great 
anxiety, and rendered necessary^ on his part, much 
personal sacrifice and self-denial* 
, This work completed, Mr. Phillippo turned his attention 
to the dilapidated mission*house, which it was necessary 



1827] opening of ihe New Chapel. 55 

to enlarge and re-model. To effect this his kind friend, 
the Castes, the chief magistrate of Spanish Town» lent 
him the sum required, which was repaid in annual instal- 
ments of the value of the rent, till the entire debt was 
extinguished. By these means, and with severe economy, 
be was able to make the hoase all that could be desired 
for convenience and comfort. 

The labours of Mr. Phillippo in the largely increased 
sphere opened to him by the erection of his chapel, were 
speedily followed by many marks of the Divine blessing* 
The administration of the Ordinance of Baptism was 
especially attractive to the people, and multitudes would 
assemble to witness the initiation of their fellow-slaves 
into the Kingdom of the Redeemer. One such scene at 
Spanish Town the grateful pastor has pictured for us in 
a very vivid manner. He is writing to Dr. Steadman: — 

*'What will you say when I inform you that a few 
weeks ago I was called to administer the ordinance in 
Spanish Town to eighty-nine more ? Sarely you will say, 
*The time to favour Zion, yea, the set time, is come.' 
These were baptized in the Rio Cobre, a celebrated river 
which rises in the interior of the country, and, after 
dashing through a wilderness of nature, adding perfection 
to scenery the most romantic and highly diversified, 
assumes a milder aspect as it washes the eastern bound- 
aries of the town. 

'* The morning was far from being favourable. Torrents 
of rain had fallen during the night, accompanied by such 
bursts of thunder and flashes of lightning (scarcely con- 
ceivable by those who have never been within the tropics) 
as made me decide on postponing the administration to a 
future day* Several times after the hour of midnight I 
looked anxiously through the window for a star. Nothing, 
however, was discoverable but the appalling gloom and 
wild confusion of a tempest-driven sky — ^nothing but what 



$6 Opening of the New ChapeL ['827 

forbade the least hope of relieving the anxioas minds of 
the candidates that morning. Under this impression I 
again laid me down. Scarcely had I done to when I was 
aroused and told that the candidates, and hundreds of 
spectators, were waiting at the river-side. 

*' It was now five o'clock, and the rain was still falling, 
though more moderately. Brother Flood and myself 
immediately hastened to the spot, and, after the usual 
introduction to this solemn rite, I baptized the number 
mentioned in the presence of a large and respectable 
assembly, who witnessed the impressive scene with such 
a degree of interest as to remain in the most peaceful 
and, apparently, solemn manner, notwithstanding the 
falling of the rain and the clouds of exhalation which 
rose around them. 

•' The place we selected for the purpose was not only 
convenient, but magnificent and enchanting in a high 
degree. In looking around me, at the water's edge, to 
which we descended by a narrow and precipitous avenue, 
I found myself encircled by an apparently boundless 
amphitheatre of wood ; trees and shrubs of every diversity 
of form, tint, and perfume met the eye in every direction. 
A little above us the river divided itself, without any 
perceptible cause, into two streams, having between them 
an island (crowned with lofty trees and rank luxuriance), 
to which the candidates and others passed over on a rude 
bridge constructed for the y>ccasion. Directly opposite 
was a plain (over which, during the periodical inundations, 
the river sweeps with impetuous fury), where the candidates 
were arranged, and where booths were erected for their 
accommodation. Many of the spectators stood in two 
nearly parallel lines on each side the stream, beneath 
trees of almost impervious foliage, whose branches 
formed a beautiful arcade, while the hoarse murmur 
of the opposite stream as it tumbled over its rocky bed, 



1827] opening of the New Chapel. 57 

the beaatifal scenery all aroand us, the distant mountains 
with their sides shrouded in mist, and occasionally illami* 
nated by the lightning that played on their summit in ten 
thousand brilliant coruscations, the thunder reverberating 
from peak to peak» added to the screeches and the liquid 
melody of the birds, as though hailing the appearance of 
a tranquil sky, could not fail to inspire the mind with a 
mixture of delight and awe* 

^ In such largis additions to our churches it may be 
supposed that we rejoice over them with trembling; 
although, considering the previous habits of the people, 
and the few advantages we possess of giving many of 
them private instruction or exhortation, instances of ex- 
clusion are less frequent than might be imagined. This 
may be accounted for partly from the strictness of our 
discipline, partly from delay in admitting them into the 
church. I am not aware that there are more than two 
individuals out of the 172 recently baptized, but who have 
been probationers, and led a life becoming the Grospel of 
Christ for the period of two, three, or four years. Some 
of them, indeed, had made a profession of religion for 
even seven years, and, as far as I could learn, had con- 
ducted themselves, during that time, with the consistency 
of real disciples of the Redeemer. The account they 
gave of their conversion to God was not only satisfactoiy, 
but in many cases highly interesting, and evidently proved 
that the ignorance with which their race is charged arises 
not from stupidity of intellect, but merely from a lack of 
mental improvement." 

The rapid growth of the various missionary churches 
throughout the island could not but be observed by the 
slaveholding interest with somewhat like dismay. Writes 
one of these gentlemen in the St, /ago Gazeiie, just after 
the opening of the chapel : " In coming through Spanish 
Town, a few days ago^ I viewed with surprise the magnifi- 



58 Opening of the New Chapel. [1827 

cent Anabaptist chapel which has arisen like an exhalation 
in a community of very limited extent and very diminished 
resources. And my astonishment has been increased by 
hearing that a building is about to be erected for a 
Methodist chapel on a similar scale of magnificence, 
whilst the cathedral of the Bishop looks like an old barn, 
without accommodation for the inhabitants, and not only 
without ornament or decoration, but without a decent 
exterior." He therefore urges that every proprietor of 
slaves should explain to them that after the ist day of May 
they can be prosecuted for giving any money, or other aid, 
to any Dissenting minister or religious teacher. The 
deluded people, he says, are simply cheated out of their 
small means, for the support of establishments intended 
to overawe Church and State. 

The Act referred to was passed in the House of 
Assembly in the previous month of December,* and was 

* The clause, the 85th, refeired to above, runs as follows : — 
And whereas, under pretence of ofierings and contributions, lar^e 
sums of money and other chattels have been extorted by designing men 
professing to be teachers of religion, practising on the ignorance and 
superstition of the negroes in this island, to their great loss and im- 
poverishment : And whereas an ample provision is already made, by 
the public and by private persons, for the religious instruction of the 
slaves : Be it enticUd by ^ authorUy aforesaid,, That, from and after 
the commencement of this Act, it shall not be lawful for any Dissenting 
minister, religious teacher, or other peison whatsoever to demand or 
receive any money or other chattel whatsoever from any slave or slaves 
within this island for affording such slave or slaves religious instruction, 
by way of offering contributions, or under any other pretence whatso- 
ever ; and, if any person or persons shall, contraiy to the true intent 
and meaning of this Act, offend herein, such person or persons shall, 
upon conviction before any three justices, forieit and pay the sum of 
twenty pounds for each offence, to be recovered in a summary manner, 
by warrant of distress and sale, under the hands and seals of the said 
justices, one moiety thereof to be paid to the informer, who is hereby 
declared a competent witness, and the other moiety to the poor of the 
parish in which such offence shall be committed, and, in default of pay- 



n 



1827] Opening of the New Chapel, 59 

— — — — ■ ■ Bii r ■ *-- ~ — ' ■ 

ordered to come into operation on the 1st of May, though it 
shonld not have received the sanction of the home Govern* 
ment. Its pu'pose was to break up the religious organisa- 
tions which in any way derived their support from the 
slaves. Mr. Phillippo soon found that he was not to be 
allowed to pursue his ministry of peace unmolested* On 
the nth of Jane he received intelligence that an information 
had been filed against him in the police-court for breach 
of the clause which enacted ** that no sectarian minister, 
or other teacher of religion, is to keep open his place of 
meeting between sunset and sunrise." The charge was 
that, on the night previous to the baptism recorded above, 
Mr. Phillippo had held an illegal meeting. Up to this 
time it had been the custom of the slaves coming from 
great distances to assemble during the night, as their only 
opportunity for prayer before the administration of the 
ordinance at sunrise. To avoid every cause of complaint, 
Mr. Phillippo on this occasion had arranged for the 
omission of the customary service ; but many individuals, 
wearied with their long journey^ had sought rest and 
shelter within the chapeh The police, on visiting the 
building, found a few negroes occuppng the benches. 
Aflelr some inquiries, they left, threatening the people 
with the workhouse (the place of penal punishment) 
and the minister with arrest. On reaching the court** 
house, in obedience to the summons, Mr. Phillippo 
found a quorum of magistrates awaiting his presence. 
After the information, the affidavits of the informer, and 
the clause of the Slave Law under which the action 

ment, the said justices are hereby empowered and required to commit 
such offender or offenders to the common gaol for any space of time not 
ttcfwiing one calendar month. 

Another clause provided that <* slaves found guilty of preaching and 
tearhing as Anabaptists, or otherwise, without a permission from their 
owner and the quarter sessions for the parish, shall be punished by 
whipping, or by imprisonment in the workhouse to hard labour. " 



6o Opening of the New ChapeL C'^*? 

was laid had been read, the following examination 
ensued : — 

The Custos: '*You see, sir, that the law expressly 
prohibits all meetings of slaves after dark." 

Mr. Phillippo : *' Being unaccustomed to appear before 
gentlemen of your position, and unacquainted as I am 
with the forms adhered to on such occasions, I take the 
liberty of requesting you to tell me whether I may be 
allowed to question the informant." 

This was permitted. 

Mr. Phillippo (turning to the informant) : '/ Will you, 
then, allow me, sir, to ask you whether you saw me in the 
chapel at the hour you entered it ? " 

Informant : *' My affidavit attests the contrary.*' 

Mr. P. : ** Did you hear any silking ? *' 

Informant: "No." 

Mr, P. : " Was any one teaching, or preaching, or 
praying ? " 

Informant: "No." 

Mr. P. : "Was there any confusion in the chapel ?" 

Informant : " None. Some were sitting, others lying, 
on the benches ; but all were peaceable." 

Mr. P. : " What might be the number assembled } " 

Informant : " I do not know exactly ; but sufficient to . 
make it an unlawful assembly." 

Mr. P. : " Was it not your duty, sir, if you knew the 
assembly to be unlawful, to have inmiediately dispersed it, 
or, as I lived at such a short distance, to have availed 
yourself of the offer of a person to go for me ? ** 

His duty, it was stated, was only to lodge an information 
with the magistrates. 

Mr. Phillippo then explained that he had always taught 
his hearers to be obedient to the law, that he had 
discountenanced such assemblages at night and dis- 
continued them ; that, expecting a large number of persons 



1827! opening of the New Chapel. 61 

to be present at the baptismal service, he had gathered 
many together at six o'clock the previous evening, and 
strictly forbade anything to be done that could be con- 
strued into a breach of the law ; and, on receiving promises 
of strict obedience, he had left for his residence for the 
night. 

Magistrate : " But there was a meeting in the chapel, 
and as the chapel was under your control you ought to 
have seen that the gates were locked, and that there was 
no unlawful proceeding." 

Mr. P. : "As, sir, I do not keep the keys of the 
chapel, and as it is a well-known custom even in England 
to open the doors, both of chapels and churches^ on the 
evening preceding the Sabbath for the purpose of ventila- 
tion, I really do not think that I can be accountable for 
the act of a few tired persons from the country resting 
themselves in such a public place, to be ready for worship 
on the ensuing day. I will, however, do my best to 
prevent any unpleasantness of the kind for the future.'* 

Magistrate: "We certainly shall consider you respon- 
sible for what is going on in the chapel, Mr. Phi Hippo, 
and you must beware of acting contrary to law. This is 
not the first time that meetings have been held in the 
chapel at night." 

Mr. P. : " Begging your pardon, sir, for contradicting 
you, but it is the first time* I am ready to testify on 
oath that for two years past not half-a-dozen persons 
have been found on the premises after dark." 

Magistrate: ''You said, sir, that the people in the 
chapel on Saturday night did not meet there by your 
desire ; was it with your knowledge P " 

Mr. P. X " It was not with my knowledge, as I have 
already asserted*" 

Custos : " As the assembly of the people was not with 
your knowledge the magistrates have nothing further to 



62 opening of the New Chapel. ['827 

say to jou on the subject, but to admonish /ou to be 
more obedient to the laws in future/' 

Some observations followed on the humiliation to which 
Mr. Phillippo was subjected by appeanng in a police- 
court, when a gentleman present remarked on the 
impropriety Mr. Phillippo was li^uilty of in assembling 
such a vast crowd of people before sunrise to witness the 
baptismal rite. To this Mr. Phillippo replied that he did 
not leave his house for the river-side before the sun had 
risen, and that he surely could not be responsible for the 
conduct of people who came from all quartan and at 
their own desire* 

Custos : ''But you are wrong, sir, in supposing that you 
are not responsible for the conduct of the people then 
assembled ; for if your chapel attracts such multitudes of 
people that a mob is apprehended, it will be our duty, as 
magistrates, to shut the doors." 

Mr. P. : *' There was no mob, sir, or the least appear- 
uice of one.*' 

Custos: ''I hope we shall not see yon here again, sir, 
on a similar business. If we do we must enforce the law 
with the utmost rigour." 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE SLAVE CODE— 1827. 

The opinion of the home Government on the Slave 
Code, the operation of which is above exemplified, was 
not knovm until the 22nd of September. A remarkable 
despatch from Mr. Haskisson conveyed the Order in 
Council disallowing the Act. It was a surprise to the 
ruling classes of the island authoritatively, to learn that 
the Toleration Act was in force in Jamaica, in common 
with all other parts of his Majesty's dominions; that the 
Island Legislature could not imprison, at their will, 
the ministers of religion, who, to use the language of 
an island print, were "di9mally grunting and groaning, 
because, forsooth, two of their brotherhood have been 
confined in gaol for def3ang and contravening the law of 
this island." The excitement created was intense. The 
white inhabitants held meetings in every parish to de- 
nounce the conduct of the parent Government, and of 
Mr. Huskisson, the Colonial Secretary, in particular. ^ The 
speeches were of the most inflammatory character. In 
their wild oratory the planters threatened to transfer their 
allegiance to the United States, or even to assert their 
independence after the manner of their continental 
neighbours. 

Writing to Mr. Dyer on the 30th of November, Mr. 
Phillippo says :— " Nothing was more unexpected than 
the disallowance of the slave law; nothing could have 
created greater consternation in the House of Assembly. 



64 TJu Slave Cade. [1827 

Meetings respecting Mr. Huskisson's despatch were 
called in every parish on the island, and I know not 
what will be done or said to us, it being supposed that we 
are the authors of their calamities. One minister in 
Kingston (not of our denomination, I am happy to say) 
appeared uninvited at a meeting convened for the express 
purpose of taking into consideration this act of his 
Majesty's Government, and declared, to the no small 
satisfaction of the Assembly, that he and his denomina- 
tion were as much opposed to the said despatch as they 
were ; that they had never collected more than £^0 per 
annum from slaves ; and that they never had anything to 
do with the disallowed laws but to obey them. In 
consequence of this declaration, a resolution (to be 
forwarded to Mr. Huskisson) appeared in the public prints 
stating that the disallowance of the law was opposed by 
all the ' sectarian ' ministers themselves. It affords me 
the highest happiness to say that this was no sooner 
discovered by us than we totally disclaimed them as our 
sentiments, and declared that we considered ourselves 
laid under the deepest obligations of gratitude to the 
British Government for having thus struck off our fetters* 
I believe a storm in consequence is gathering over os ; 
but we fear it not.*' 

The resolution Mr. Phillippo refers to was the fourth- of 
the series passed at the meeting. It stated that the 
clauses of the disallowed Act which concerned religion 
were necessaiy as a means of defence against " the spurious 
tenets of the sectarians " — ^and of preserving " the religion 
which has been handed down to them from their fore- 
fathers, and that it has ever been our most anxious desire 
to promote by eveiy possible means the moral and 
religious improvement of the slave population," and 
immediately subjoins, "yet we are convinced, from par 
own experience, as well as from the testimony of the 



1827] The Slave Code. 65 

sectarian ministers themselves, that the restrictions 
contained in oar slave law with respect to Dissenters are 
indispensable.'' The reply to this audacious statement 
was signed by all the Baptist ministers in the island, and a 
like remonstrance was also published by the Wesleyan mis- 
sionaries. ^ We are decidedly of opinion/' say the former, 
" that the restrictions are not indispensable, that they are 
not calculated to promote the welfare of the colony, and 
that they are strongly opposed to the equitable and 
peaceable doctrines of Christianity, to the liberties of 
good and loyal subjects, and to the rights of Christians." 

The commotion throughout the island was, however, 
only as the outskirts of a storm to the tempest of wrath 
which burst from the benches of the House of Assembly. 
Calumnies of the vilest kind, expressed in the most virulent 
language, were heaped on the heads of the ** sectarian 
ministers." 

The leaders of the anti-slavery party in England, Clark- 
son, Wilberforce, Macaulay, and others, were assailed by 
name, from day to day, in the most malignant language. 
This violence certainly could find no justification in the 
language or tone of the message in which the Lieutenant- 
Governor, Sir John Keane, conveyed the Colonial 
Secretary's despatch to the House of Assembly. He 
said that his Majesty fully appreciated the valuable im- 
provements contained in portions of the new Slave Code, 
and he was convinced that the House would give the 
measure a temperate re-consideration. He trusted that 
the House would endeavour to avoid, in any new Bill, 
those provisions which would act " as a restraint on the 
religious liberties to which all his Majesty's subjects, 
whatever may be their civil condition, are alike entitled." 
He called attention to the calm and measured language 
in which Mr. Huskisson had stated that the restrictions 
on religious instruction were an invasion of that toleration 

F 



66 The Slave Code. ['827 

which is due to all his Majesty's subjects, that the prohibi- 
tion of religious meetings between sunset and sunrise 
would operate as a total denial of the privilege of common 
worship, and would be felt with peculiar severity by domestic 
slaves. The despatch further commented on the invidious 
distinctions established among the various denominations 
in the island, and objected to the penalties imposed upon 
persons collecting contributions for religious purposes 
among the slaves. Such a law was a stigma on the religious 
teacher, and prevented the slave from obeying a Christian 
precept. It was finally and distinctly declared to be ** the 
purpose of his Majesty's Government to sanction no 
colonial law which needlessly infringes on the religious 
liberty of any class of his Majesty's subjects,'' and forbade 
the Governor to assent to any measure containing such 
restrictions, unless it contained a clause suspending* its 
operation till his Majesty's pleasure could be known. 

The reading of the despatch excited the most violent 
sensation. The House was beside itself with anger, and 
again and again the most opprobrious language burst 
forth with respect to it. Nevertheless it was determined 
to prepare a reply, and a committee was appointed to 
take it into consideration. It is not possible in any brief 
compass to epitomise the extraordinary and lengthy 
document which was adopted by the House of Assembly 
as an answer to Mr. Huskisson's despatch. It must 
suffice to cull a few of the more noticeable statements it 
contains. It was declared to be impossible to discover 
any sound reason for the course that had been pursued ; 
his Majesty's Government had lost sight of the fact that 
the House was legislating, not for freemen, but for slaves. 
Toleration on religious subjects was utterly at variance 
with the institutions of Jamaica. The preaching and teach- 
ing of slaves had been attended with the most pernicious 
consequences. . The " pious motives of the Kind's 



1827] The Slam Code 67 

Ministers" are appreciated, bat they know nothing of the 
African character. The slave must not be permitted to 
injure his health, nor strip himself of clothing, nor barter 
his tools and food, to support itinerant expounders of the 
Gospel. The Negro most not be left to be the prey of 
" the oily and delusive tongue of a self-ordained preacher." 
Unhallowed men "are known to cajole slaves out of 
their substance/' and even threaten their simple followers 
with " hell fire and eternal damnation if they are slow and 
scanty in their contributions." Owners of slaves will never 
allow a spy to enter their families under the guise of a 
protector of the slaves ; nor will they allow any public 
supervision of the punishments it may be necessary to inflict 
upon them. The use of the whip in the field cannot be 
abandoned, nor "until Negro women have acquired more 
of the sense of shame that distinguishes European 
females" will it be possible to "lay aside punishment by 
flogging." Masters must continue to retain unchecked 
the power of imprisoning their slaves and of authorising 
the gaoler to inflict punishment without trial. This 
strange document is closed by the statement that they can* 
not pass a new Bill " without sacrificing their independ- 
ence and endangering the safety of the island." Only 
when the Crown withdraws its instruction to the Governor, 
^y which their legislative power is unlawfully limited, will 
the House of Assembly once more take the Slave Code 
into their serious consideration. 

To obtain proofs of these allegations respecting the 
practices of the "sectarian preachers," the House of 
Assembly resolved to summon them from all parts of the 
island before a committee. The questions put were of 
the most inquisitorial nature. Mr. Phillippo has preserved 
a portion of his own examination, and an extract from it 
will give a fair idea of the puerile as well as inquisitorial 

character of the inquiry. 

F 2 



68 The Slave Code, [1827 

I ,. ■J._ii !■! ■ 11 !!■■ ^^m m mr n t m m -^ - i ■■ ■! ■ ■. j 

*^ My tarn," he says, *' at length came, and I was ushered 
into the presence of these august inquisitors. As the oath 
to be taken was said to be unconditional, I respectfully 
declined taking it, assigning as my reason the probability 
of the evidence being published, and of its involving a 
disclosure of private affairs. This was resented as a 
breach of privilege, and I was reminded of the presence 
of the serjeant-at-arms. I was at length allowed to object 
to any question not specially relating to the subject under 
investigation. 

"After a few preliminary inquiries as to my name, 
office, creed, ordination, the difference between Particular 
and General Baptists, the length of time I had been in 
the island, &c., I was questioned by the Secretary and 
others. 

" Question : We wish to know how you are supported, 
whether by your Society in England, or by your con- 
gregation here ? 

** Answer : I have received a regular salary from the 
Society at home. 

"Q.: What may be the amount of your salary per 
annum ? 

" A. : I must beg you to excuse my declining to reply 
to this question for the reason I have already stated 

•*Q. : Why? The answer would involve nothing that 
you need care for the world to know« 

" A. : Possibly not ; but it is not pleasant for everybody 
to know what one receives and spends. 

" Q. : The Wesleyans have been very frank, and have 
told us that their salaries are proportioned according to 
circumstances — a single man has so much, and so on in 
proportion to the number of his children. 

*' A. : I have before told you that I am a Baptist and 
not a Wesleyan, and the organisation and practices of 
these societies differ. 



1827] The Slave Code, 6q 



•( 



•I 



Q. : Welly sir, do you make any collections among the 
slaves and others of your congregations ? If so, how often, 
and to what amount ? 

''A.: Yes; I make collections once a month and oftener, 
as circumstances may require; but I cannot tell the 
amount, as I keep no books.* 

Q. : Who receives these collections ? 
A. : They are usually received by the officers of the 
church, and are afterwards handed or accounted for to 
me. 

" Q. : You said just now that you received your salary 
regularly from home. . 

'*A.: I did not say that I received it regularly from 
home, but that I received a regular salary from home ; 
that is, I draw for it when I want it, sometimes before and 
sometimes after it is due. 

" Q. : Well, then, what do you appropriate the amount 
to that you make by collections ? 

*' A. : I apply it to bu3ring grass for my horse. (Chair- 
man smiling, as I bought the grass from him.) 

'' Q. : You had better say, perhaps, that you apply it to 
the incidental expenses of your establishment. 

** A. : Yes. Establishment or station, as you please. 

" Q. : Be good enough, now, to inform us if you receive 
any presents or offerings from the slaves and others of 
your congregation — such as fowls, pigs, goats, provisions, 
fruits, &c., &c.t 

^* A. : Presents of fowls, &c. 1 I am at a loss to under- 

* The acoomits were kept by the deacons. 

t For some time previous to, and dming, the inqoiry Mr. Phillippo 
kad declined to recdve snch contributions from his people, because in- 
fomers had been sent in every direction to discover matter for 
accusation. The slaves had also been told by their masters that any 
gifts to their ministers would bring upon them severe punishment.— 
Letter to Mr. Dyer, December 24th, 1827. 



70 The Slave Code. ['827 

stand the bearing of this question on this investigation. 
I have before said that the Society to which I belong 
did not send me oat here to be dependent upon the 
precarious benevolence of a few poor Negro slaves. 

^' Q. : Shall I say, then, that you do not receive any 
very great presents. You know there would be nothing 
wrong in this. It is natural for the people to show their 
love and gratitude to their minister in this way. I should 
feel no difficulty in doing so myself if in your situation. 
*' A. : I do not doubt it 

**Q.: Well, sir, I wait for your reply. You have not 
answered the question. 

'* A. : As I do not exactly comprehend the bearing or 
object of the question, I shall be obliged by your giving it 
me in writing. 

^' (I was again called to order.) 

" Mr. Capon (one of the Committee), to the President, 
angrily : * Really, Mr. Chairman, this person seems to be 
trifling with us, and we are losing time. The question is 
plain enough. Ask him if he receives the offerings 
named from the slaves of his church. Yes or no ? ' 
(Haughtily casting a look at the sectarian parson.) 

''A.: As you, sir (looking at the questioner), seem so 
anxious to know if I am in the habit of receiving presents 
from my congregation, I have no objection to say that I 
have not received any for some time, except a capon 
which a good woman brought me the other day. 

** (A suppressed titter followed, in which all joined except 
the questioner himself.) • 

"The Secretary, doubtless enjoying the fun, inquired 
what he should record. 

*This gentleman had made himself somewhat notorious by the 
uLsulting remarks he had, on more than one occasion, addressed to the 
missionaries and their vives, and by his bitter hostility to missionary 
work. 



1827] The Slave Code. 71 

''Mr. Capon, looking np to the Chairman, said: 'I 
should think, sir, that question had better be omitted 
altogether.' 

" Chairman : Yes, You, sir (to Mr. Phillippo, with a 
smile), are now at liberty to withdraw." 

Mr. Phillippo bowed, and withdrew accordingly. 

The session of the Assembly closed by the re-enactment 
of the Slave Law, in all its material features unchanged. 
But before separating the House of Assembly directed a 
guard of honour to attend at King's House, and voted a 
grant of 3,000 guineas for a sword of honour, with the hope 
that the Lieutenant-Governor would thereby be induced to 
transmit the Code to the Colonial Office with his recom- 
mendation. As may be supposed. Sir John Keane rejected 
the bribe, and obeyed the instructions he had received by 
placing his veto on the Bill. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE GOSPEL OF SALVATION— 1828. 

The busy life of Mr. Phillippo in Spanish Town did not 
preclude frequent endeavours to diffuse the knowledge of 
salvation in the neighbouring parishes. For some years 
Mr. Gibbs, a native Baptist, had preached to a small 
gathering of people at Jericho, in St. Thomas-in-the-Vale. 
After his death most of these people joined the congrega- 
tion in Spanish Town. The chapel in which they met 
had been destroyed by a planter of the vicinity, but the 
site, with a large piece of land adjoining, was now offered 
to Mr. Phillippo. On his first visit he had preached under 
a tree, on the premises of a Miss Cooper, a free woman of 
colour, and, finding no better accommodation, he spent the 
night in her hut. This was represented as being done for 
seditious purposes, and the rector denounced the missionary 
at the next meeting of the Vestry as a low, uneducated 
man, animated by the worst intentions. Even the land 
could not be surveyed without opposition, and the timber 
collected for the erection of a new chapel was in open 
day carted away by the owner of the adjoining estate, and 
used in the erection of his own house. The Attorney- 
General was appealed to ; but he gave it as his opinion 
that the cost of seeking redress, and the risk of obtaining 
it, were too great to be ventured upon. A jury of slave- 
holders would certainly refuse to convict where the defend- 
ant was a slaveholder and the plaintiff a Baptist missionary. 
A further diflficulty sprung up. The owner of the land was a 



1828] The Gospel of Salvaiicn. 73 

slave, and by law had no power to give a title to land% 
Mr. Phillippo was therefore dispossessed, and compelled 
reluctantly to submit to this gross act of injustice. 
Coming from the estate, ^' I was met in the road/' says 
Mr. Phillippo, ''by the noble-looking coloured female 
already named, who at that time made no pretension to 
religion. She was much excited on hearing the result 
of the survey, and exclaimed, * Minister I have they really 
taken away the land ? They don't want the Gospel to 
come into the parish. But keep heart. Follow me/ and 
going on before me with great energy, till we came to a 
nsing ground beyond' her cottage, * Here,' she said, * is a 
beautiful spot where you can build a chapel, with as much 
land as you will want ; and let them come and turn you 
off if they dare. It is my own freehold.' " 

Mr. Phillippo at once accepted the generous gift, and 
ananged with the donor to celebrate Divine service on 
her premises till suitable accommodation could be pro- 
vided. Not long after, he had the pleasure of receiving 
her into the church, and for many years she sustained, 
undismayed by persecution, the character of a genuine 
Christian. 

About this time, Mr. Phillippo was urged to carry the 
Gospel into Vere, which was represented to be in a more 
deplorable condition than any other parish, both as to the 
ignorance of the people and the depraved and irreligious 
character of the overseers and white inhabitants. The 
departure, however, of Mr. Baylis for Mount Charles 
threw the school again on Mr. Phillippo's care, and he 
was compelled to cease from the efforts which he had 
hegun. 

The arrival of Mr. Taylor in the following year enabled 
Mr. Phillippo to give Old Harbour into his charge, and to 
make better provision for the spiritual need of this large 
district. Mr. Taylor had come to Jamaica in connection 



74 The Gospel of Salvation. [1828 

with the Church Missionary Society, but, changing his 
views, he relinquished that connection, and was baptized 
by Mr. Phillippo. It was not without the most persistent 
hostility, and much persecution of the poor slaves, that 
the Gospel at last obtained a footing in Vere. In the 
issue, the labours of Mr. Phillippo and his willing 
coadjutor were crowned with large success. 

The return of Mrs. Phillippo early in 1828, much 
benefited by her voyage home, and the engagement of a 
young man of the name of Andrews, whose discharge from 
the army Mr. Phillippo purchased, gave a new impetus 
to the schools in Spanish Town, The general aspect of 
the congregation was also the source of great joy. Writing 
to Mr. Dyer on the 5th of May, he says: " Mr. Andrews 
affords me valuable assistance in almost everything 
connected with the duties of my station. The schools, 
both Sabbath and weekly, are in a very thriving con- 
dition, the Sabbath-school especially. It contains now 
about one hundred and twenty children and twenty 
adults. The station in all its departments continues to 
wear a very smiling aspect* I might have said, appear- 
ances are more pleasing than at any former time. Our 
chapel on a Sabbath afternoon is often crowded. The 
congregation, being principally composed of young and 
interesting persons, really exhibits, on a Lord's-day» a 
very pleasing spectacle. But, above all, I have the 
most gratifying evidence that I do not ' labour in 
vain, nor spend my strength for nought.' On the first 
Sabbath in June, I expect to baptize about sixty persons, 
many of whom are very interesting characters indeed. 
Among them is Mr. Andrews* two more white persons, 
and about a dozen respectable individuals of colour. I 
have every reason to believe that the sacred leaven is still 
operating in the hearts of many of my congregation. 
What a cause for zeal and thankfulness I " 



1 828] The Gospel of Salvation. 75 

From a letter to a friend in Oxford, later in the year, is 
extracted the following fuller account of his schools. He 
was an ardent advocate of education for the Negro, and 
struggled through many difficulties and much oppositioo 
to maintain them in an efficient state. 

^ There are two schools in connection with this station, 
a Sabbath and a weekly one. The former has been in 
operation four years and a-half; the latter since July, 1825. 
The object of their establishment was to afford moral and 
religious instruction gratuitously, and on the most liberal 
principles, to slave children and those of the indigent free, 
both black and of colour. The Sabbath-school is entirely 
a gratuitous institution, but, owing to a total destitution of 
resources, children are admitted into the other on terms 
suitable to the circumstances of their parents, or corre- 
sponding with the benevolence or the pecuniary abilities of 
their owners. Thus, of the eighty children this school 
now contains, forty-two are admitted free, about twenty at 
the small sum o{£\ 4s. each per annum, and the remainder 
at the rate of from £z 8s. to/^4 i6s. per ditto, making the 
whole receipt per annum, as neariy as can be calculated, 
deducting for bad debts, about /^yo sterling. 

"The Sabbath-school contains 201 children and twenty- 
four efficient teachers. Of the latter, exclusive of the super- 
intendent and patron, five are whites. Both these schools 
are conducted principally on the Lancasterian plan. It 
might be said that they were conducted on a plan which 
embraced the excellences of both the popular systems, as 
the person to whom their management is more especially 
entrusted, having previously superintended one in the 
army on the National plan, considers that by such a union 
he has improved the discipline of the school, and in some 
degree facilitated the progress of the scholars. 

*' Owing to the great proficiency of the children generally, 
the uniform consistency of the discipline maintained, the 



76 The Gospel of Salvation. [1828 

excellent qualifications of my assistant, together with my 
own and Mrs. Phillippo's constant oversight, residing 
beneath the same roof, these schools are now highly 
interesting and prosperous. The instruction of negro 
children is no longer an experiment; their capacity to 
receive it is proved beyond a doubt. Difficulties, too, have 
vanished, prejudices are subsiding, and sufficient fruit has 
been collected to warrant the most sanguine hopes of an 
approaching rich and abundant harvest." 

The expenses attendant on these institutions, and his 
family requirements, often pressed heavily on his resources. 
But Mr. Phillippo was ever ready to endure straits, if need 
be, for the cause on which his heart was set. To a friend 
he writes, on the 29th of May : — ^' I can conscientiously 
declare that every fragment of my incomings, over and 
above what has been expended for the necessaries and 
conveniences of life, has been appropriated to the blessed 
cause to which I have consecrated my life. I was pecu- 
liarly struck, soon after entering Bradford Academy, with 
the singular disinterestedness of its venerated president, 
Dr. Steadman, in his great Master^s cause. I earnestly 
pray that his example, in this respect as well as in others, 
may be imitated by me to the latest period of my life. If 
I know anything of my own heart I feel a greater interest 
than ever in the prosperity of the Redeemer's Kingdom. 
The cause here is very near my heart, and my attachment 
to Spanish Town, the immediate sphere of my labour, is 
far greater than I should feel for any other under heaven. 
I earnestly hope that I shall at last be numbered with 
those who will be accounted faithful.'' 

The pecuniary difficulties of the position were much 
enhanced by the growing opposition of the planters. In 
the same letter he says : *' The community here is more 
hostile than ever to our receiving contributions from 
slaves, and men are positively lying in wait to ascertain 



i828] Th^ Gospel of Salvation. 77 

whether we do so or not. Our character^ are traduced 
on this account more grossly than ever in the public 
print." 

Nevertheless, the Word of God was not bound. Writing 
on the 4th of August, Mr. Phillippo says : '' My prospects 
of usefulness are wider and better than at any former 
period. The field for exertion is extending on the right ' 
hand and on the left. Multitudes are anxiously inquiring 
after the pearl of great price, and multitudes, I trust, have 
found it. A few Sabbaths ago I baptized sixty-seven 
individuals on a public profession of their faith in the 
Lord Jesus. Two of them were whites, twenty were 
respectable persons of colour, and the rest blacks.. I 
never recollect having spent a happier day. Not fewer, 
I should imagine, than one thousand six hundred persons 
witnessed the solemn spectacle, and, with the exception of 
a little confusion before the gates were thrown open, 
scarcely a word was uttered during the whole ceremony. 
Many were in tears. About four hundred and fifty were 
present at the ordinance of the Lord's Supper — six whites, 
myself excepted, the rest of every diversity of colour. 
Our congregation is oftentimes as large as the chapel will 
admit of, and additions to it are constantly making. In 
these few last Sabbaths not a seat has been unoccupied ; . 
many, indeed, have been obliged to sit on the window- 
seats and on the staircases.** 

Again, in November, he writes :—" Having preached 
three times yesterday, and occupied two hours in each 
service, I feel very tired. Had it been otherwise, I should 
bave sent you an account of a baptizing at Old Harbour 
on the Sabbath before last. I administered that ordinance 
to ninety-five persons in the presence of, I suppose, a 
thousand spectators, and then preached out of doors, on a 
chair, soon after, to a congregation of the same number. 
On the following morning Mr. Taylor accompanied me to 



78 The Gospel of Salvation. [1828 

another parish, about sixteen miles from Old Harbour 
and twenty-seven from Spanish Town, where we have 
succeeded in forming a new station, not likely to be of any 
expense to the Society.*' 

Towards the close of the year an incident happened 
which became the source of much distress to Mr. and 
Mrs. Phillippo, and of misapprehension of their motives 
of action. Owing to the legal difficulties in the way 
of the immediate manumission of a slave,* and the 
imperfect acquaintance of Mr. Phillippo with the law, 
his name appeared in the Almanack of the year as the 
registered proprietor of certain slaves. The circumstances 
of the case will be clearly understood from the following 
letter, addressed by Mrs. Phillippo to the Rev. John Dyer, 
but it gave occasion to the unfounded charge that Mr. 
Phillippo was a dealer in slaves, and, though a minister 
of the Gospel, a man who did not scruple to hold in 
degrading bondage his fellow-men. Even some of his 
missionary brethren too readily entertained the reproach, 
and for a little while he lay under suspicions which only 
his integrity, together with a true knowledge of the facts, 
ultimately dispelled. Mrs. Phillippo^ thus explains the 
affair :— 

** To the Rev. John Dyer. 

''I must beg you to excuse the liberty I take in 
addressing you. My object is to endeavour to repel the 
serious accusation made against my dear husband, as the 
charge more immediately refers to my own conduct, not 

* One condition imposed by the law of Jamaica on manumission was 
that if a slave obtained his freedom by purchase, or by the gift of his 
master, a security bond must be lodged with the churchwarden of the 
parish for an annuity of ;^5, contingent on his ever becoming a pauper. 
The bond could be given by any free person of any class or colour. 
-.Barclay's "West Indies," p. 274. 



1828] The Gospel of Salvation, 79 

to his. He, I can assure yoa, never had the least to do 
whatever with the purchase of slaves* The case is simply 
this. Mr. Coultart had a woman he had hired for some 
time as a servant, who having proved an excellent and 
trustworthy woman, her owner gave two of her children 
their freedom, and I believe had given her also reason to 
expect her own manumission on the same account. Before 
that, however, was done the owner died, and the poor 
woman and ' her family were immediately for sale. She 
had a paper given her to find a purchaser by a certain 
time, which if she did not, herself and family were to be 
put up at public auction and sold to the highest bidder. 
The poor creature, from the dread of being separated, 
perhaps for ever, from her husband^ her children, and the 
ordinances of God's house (for she was a pious woman 
and a member of Mr. Coultart's church), and being sold to 
a cruel master or one who would turn her into the field, 
to which labour she had never been accustomed, was, as 
may easily be conceived, much distressed ; she implored 
Mr. Coultart, with tears running down her cheeks, to 
purchase her, or to get some one of his acquaintance to 
do it for her. Mr. Coultart was then about leaving the 
island, and therefore could not do anything himself for 
her ; but, being no longer able to resist her unremitting 
and moving importunities, he begged me, if I possibly 
cooldy to get some kind person in Spanish Town to 
purchase her and her family. On hearing the above I felt 
exceedingly for the poor creature, and began to think if 
something could not be done. Had I been a person of 
property I felt as though I would most cheerfully have 
laid the money down for her ; but I had not the means. 
At length, after much thought, a plan occurred to me. I 
felt convinced that it might be done, and in such a way 
too as to ensure her entire manumission and that of her 
whole family in a short time. My plan succeeded. The 



8o The Gospel of Salmtion. [1828 

money at which she and her familj were valued was 
kindly advanced by a few members of the church, on the 
very eaJsy condition that I should pay it them at the rate 
of three dollars a week until it was entirely paid — a sum 
which I had been obliged to pay to the owners of the 
two servants I then had — and then they should be 
manumitted. Thus you will perceive I have done no 
more than hire this family, and yet at the same time I 
have had what I consider the honour^ and what I really felt 
to be a gratification, of freeing this whole family and all 
their posterity from perpetual bondage. For. I can assure 
you that, according to my original purpose, they are, and 
have been for some time, as Mr. Coultart can testify, duly 
and properly manumitted. I have had to do with only 
one more instance of the kind. This was the case of a 
poor old Negro woman who lived with Mr. Godden two or 
three years, and who has been our washerwoman from 
the time of our arrival. As kind and good a creature, I 
believe, as ever lived, she worked for us for less than half 
the regular wages, and never would be prevailed on by me 
to take more, often replying, when I said, ' Rosina, I am 
afraid you will hurt yourself,' 'Nebermind, missa; I know 
you can't afford for pay much, and you gib up all for de 
good of me poor Negro, and me ought not to mind work 
a little for de good Word.' She was Mr, Godden's 
faithful attendant in all his sickness, and I really believe 
would almost lay down her life for myself and Mr. 
Phillippo. She has attended us and watched over us with 
all the solicitude of the fondest and most indulgent 
parent, and has even wept and rejoiced over us as occasion 
seemed to dictate. This dear old creature, sixty years of 
age, who does not stir out of the yard for weeks for fear of 
being seized and carried to gaol for her master's debts 
(where, probably, she might have remained until she pined 
away and died)^ was at la^t seized in our yard by the 



1 82 8] The Chspel of Salvaiion. 8i 

sheriff's officer and cast into that dismal dangeon. I, of 

course, felt distressed on her account, as I knew her poor 

worn-out frame could not long endure such confinement ; 

but while I was deliberating on what to do a black man, a 

member of our church, who, with his wife, had formerly 

been a slave, but who now is worth considerable property, 

came and said if I would be answerable for Rosina's 

appearance on the day of sale — for it was afterwards 

determined upon that she should be sold — he would go 

and be bound for her. I was, of course, thankful for such 

a proposal, and she was accordingly let out of gaol the next 

day. This good man, moreover, came to me soon after, 

and said, ' Me know missa no able to buy Rosina, and him 

be very sorry for him to be sold away; myself will buy him 

for him own good, if missa will keep part of de money 

him give Rosina every week for washing till him pay him 

again, and him manumission papers shall be made out and 

missa shall have no more trouble.' It was impossible to 

have rejected such a proposal. This man purchased her 

the next day for /'lo currency. In less than twelve 

months, in the manner before mentioned, she paid the 

purchase-money, and has ever since been receiving for 

herself the whole of her earnings, when before she had to 

pay ten shillings per week to her master. This, sir, is the 

utmost I have ever had to do with purchasing of slaves, 

and surely, as it must appear from this that my sole 

desire has been to deliver them from bondage, I shall 

not be charged for a moment as an aider and abettor of 

slavery. 

" I am, my dear Sir, 

" Very truly yours, 

" H. S. Phillippo." 

When the case became known in England several friends 
in Reading, Kingston, Oxford, and other places remitted 
money for the redemption of others from slavery, and not 



82 Thi Gospel of Salvation. [1828 

a few individuals were rescued from a doom of misery, 
infamy, and shame.* 

The trials and difficulties which beset the missionary's 
path were not without their spiritual fruit. They led Mr. 
Phillippo more simply to the Cross of Christ and to the 
throne of grace ; to a deeper knowledge of his own heart, 
and of the riches of that grace which sustained him. 
** They have taught me," he says, " many important 
lessons which I never should have learned in any other 
school. By them I have been led to see more of my 
own insufficiency, and have learned my entire dependence 
upon God." Strengthened in the inner man, Mr. Phillippo 
continued abundant in labour, reaping a harvest of bless- 
ing which he ever ascribed to God, " to whom only the 
honour and glory are due." 

This chapter of busy and successful toil may fittingly be 
closed by an extract from a letter to his mother, in which 
he briefly describes the routine of his daily life. •* Our 
days," he says, " are never too long. On the contrary, I 
never recollect going to rest without regrettinj^ and 
sometimes feeling angry with myself that the day has not 
been more devoted to the great purpose of my life. I 
rise every morning at five o'clock, spend an hour in my 
study, pass another hour in my garden, or walking about 
to inhale the freshness of the morning air. I then return 
to my study, and remain there till eight. Breakfast ; 
conduct family worship, including any persons who may 
happen to be on the premises. We afterwards go down 

♦ In a note dated 1875 Mr. Phillippo adds that the five or six young 
women redeemed were afterwards respectably married, and, with one 
exception, became members of the Church of Christ. Three or four 
became the wives of schoolmasters. One opened a private school, and 
her son is a solicitor in good practice in Jamaica. Her daughter is 
the wife of a native clergyman. The families of the rest are numerousy 
and are much respected. 



18x8] The Gospel of Salvation. 83 

into the school, which is on the floor beneath us, and 
which we superintend, and there remain until other 
engagements require attention. At two o'clock, when at 
home, I again visit the school, and remain till it is over 
for the day, concluding it as it was begun, with singing 
and prayer. 

"About half-past four we dine, then get ready for 
chapel, class-meetings, singing-classes, leaders' meetings, 
evening adult school, or meetings of some kind or another 
in town or country every day in the week. They usually 
commence at six o'clock and continue for an hour and a 
half. We then take tea, have family prayers, and at 
nine or half-past retire for the night. 

" This is the regular routine, interrupted, of course, on 
the week days by services in the country, at Old Harbour, 
thirteen miles distant, and elsewhere, by visits to the sick ; 
by monthly intercourse with members and inquirers, by 
experience meetings and church-meetings, by settlement 
of disputes, and by marriages and burials, &c." 

This is truly a scene of active and arduous work, and a 
key to that large amount of blessing it pleased God to 
grant to His servant during the early years of his missionary 
careen 



G 2 



CHAPTER XL 

PERSECUTION— VOYAGE TO THE UNITED STATES— 

1828 TO 1829. 

Thb labours of Mr. Phitlippo and his brethren were 
perpetually in danger of destruction from the besotted 
folly of the planters. Just as the year 1828 was about to 
close the Sectarian Committee presented its report to the 
House of Assembly. It was adopted with only one 
dissentient. It professed to be founded on evidence 
furnished by men of various positions in life, among 
whom were members of the missionary societies. The 
island was ransacked for the calumnies and slanders that 
passed from mouth to mouth, among them that one of 
the missionaries (understood to be Mr. Phillippo) had 
baptized seventy-five persons in the Rio Cobre, *' bare as 
Nature made them."* The character of some of the 
witnesses may be judged of by the fact that one witness 
was brought before the committee by a constable, being 
in custody on a charge of assault and robbery. A local 
newspaper even ventured to say '*that subornation the 
most gross must have been resorted to in procuring the 

*The following is a mild specimen of the abuse lavished on the 
missionaries by the island press : — ** Among the absurd, preposterous, 
unjustifiable, and irreligious regulations which they have i r revere n tly 
adopted as the text of their creed is the prohibition of indulgence in 
dancing, and other innocent amusements of a similar kind ; and in 
doing so they belie their Saviour and imitate the devil himself." 



1829] Persecution . 8 5 

evidence, unsubstantial as it is." The presumed facts 
thus ascertained were said to justify the following state- 
ments of the report : — " That the principal object of the 
sectarians is to extort money from their congregations 
by every possible pretext, and by the most indecent 
expedients; that they inculcate the doctrines of equality 
and the rights of men, and preach and teach sedition 
even from the pulpit ; that they occasion abject poverty, 
loss of comfort, and discontent among the slaves fre- 
quenting their chapels, and deterioration of property to 
their masters; and such is their outrageous thirst for 
gain that they recommend females to prostitute them- 
selves to get money to swell their contributions 1 " These 
monstrous charges were immediately repelled by the 
missionaries; but the report was printed in large num- 
bers and sent to England for wide distribution, with the 
hope of inducing the Colonial Secretary to pass the 
re-enacted Slave Law, Writing to Mr. Dyer on the 5th of 
January, 1829, Mr. Phillippo says: — "I do trust that no 
exertion will be spared by the friends of missions to 
defeat the diabolical purposes of our adversaries and of 
the enemies of God. If these men gain their point we 
might as well leave the island at once. It may materially 
affect the missions of every denomination in eveiy part of 
the world. Every denomination should unite in an in^ 
flexible determination to frustrate such unholy, unjust, 
disgraceful, and destructive purposes. Never, perhaps, 
has there been such an important crisis as the present in 
the annals of missions/' Happily, the agent of the colony 
at once saw that the circulation of this vile document 
in England would infinitely damage the planters' cause. 
It was, therefore, prudently withheld from the public 
eye, while in Ihe island itself it found many strenuous 
opponents* The persecuting clauses of the Slave Law 
were withdrawn, but the Secretary of State retained many 



86 • Persecution, [1829 

others which were used to harass the missionaries and 
hinder their work. 

In Vere Mr. Phillippo had to complain of the persecu- 
tion of the slaves for holding class-meetings on some of 
the numerous estates of the parish. The oppression was, 
perhaps, more grievous than in any other part of the 
island. The old white man whose house Mr. Phillippo 
had hired was ousted from his holding by the rector and 
magistrates, treated with indignity, and threatened with 
the enmity of the neighbouring planters. On one estate 
a Negro slave was flogged to death for conducting a 
prayer-meeting in the class-house, and another was severely 
punished for the like crime. It was with great difficulty 
that Mr. Phillippo obtained a licence for the preaching- 
place. Similar hostility had also to be encountered in 
the parish of St. Thomas-in-the-Vale. 

A few of the more moderate among the planters felt, 
however, that it was necessary, in some degree, to meet 
the demands of the English Government for an ameliora- 
tion in the condition of the slaves. A meeting to con- 
sider the matter was called at the Half-way Tree House, 
at which, says Mr. Phillippo, the following resolution, 
wholly at variance with the representations of the House 
of Assembly, was passed :^— " That this meeting, observing 
a progressive improvement in the moral and religious 
condition of the slave population of this island, is of 
opinion that they are in a state sufficiently advanced to 
be permitted to enjoy the civil rights and immunities 
intended for their benefit by the new Slave Law." But no 
good came of such resolutions, and the tale of woe 
continued unchecked. The promoters of the movement 
did not even attain what was their true object — ^that of 
blinding the eyes of the people and Government of 
England to the real condition of their bondsmen, or to 
the fallacious nature of the relief, said to be the intention 



1829] Voyage to the Untied Siaies, 87 

of the enactment, which for so long a time had been in 
controversy with the home Government. 

Multiplied and laborious duties, added to the perpetual 
anxieties occasioned by the course taken by the planters, 
at length painfully affected Mr. Phillippo's health. Rest 
and a resort tea cooler climate for a time became absolutely 
necessary, and were only delayed until he could safely 
leave Mrs. Phillippo, after the birth of their eldest daughter, 
Hannah, which took place on the 5th of April. On the 24th 
of July Mr. Phillippo set sail from Port Royal, with two very 
disagreeable passengers as companions. He soon found 
that the crew of the vessel consisted of a most disreputable 
lot of men. Even before leaving the harbour his store of 
provisions was pillaged. The voyage was one scene of 
disaster to its close. Two of the sailors were concealed 
pirates, and nearly succeeded in carrying the vessel to the 
Isle of Pines, the well-known rendezvous of sea brigands. 
The captain, being possessed of little nautical knowledge, 
blunderingly sailed into the Gulf of Mexico instead of the 
Gulf of Florida. The reckoning was lost, and they lay be- 
calmed for ten days, exhausting their provisions and exposed 
to the fierce rays of a tropical sun. Slowly drifting with the 
cunent they came in sight of Havana, and entered the 
harbour with their flag half-mast high, in distress for water 
and food. The Cuban authorities treated them as spies 
upon the expedition of General Santa Anna, just then 
about to sail for the Spanish main. By a judicious use of 
money, Mr. Phillippo and one of his fellow-passengers 
were permitted to land, and to purchase the provisions of 
which they stood in such great need. But when on shore 
they were not safe. Passing along a street, they were 
a^ested, as strangers who had violated the law by 
traversing the city without a passport. After an angry 
interview the Alcalde allowed them to return on board 
their vesseL The captain of a Portuguese brig in the 



8 8 Voj^age to the United States, [1829 

harbour next entreated Mr. Phillippo, hearing that he was 
an English clergyman, to go aboard his ship to console 
his fever-stricken crew. It was a frightful sight. The 
sick and dying men lay in a semicircle round the bulwarks 
with parched and bleeding lips. Their faces were bloated 
and yellow with disease. *' I gave out a verse or two of a 
hymn," says Mr. Phillippo, *' and sang them to the tune 
of the Old Hundredth, in which some from early recollec- 
tion tried to join. I then prayed amidst the sobs and 
hearty amens of all, and spoke to them of * The Lamb 
of God which taketh away the sins of the world.' Their 
eyes were fixed upon me, many were in tears, some sobbed 
aloud, and the captain at my side wept like a child. It 
was a solemn moment. All seemed to feel that the hand 
of death was upon them, and that they were going unpre- 
pared before the tribunal of the great Judge of all. The 
short service over, I stepped into the boat, some raising 
themselves up and looking over the bulwarks, and invoking 
blessings on my head.*' 

After another arrest, another visit to the guardship, and 
to the officer of the port, the vessel was allowed to depart, 
only to encounter a tremendous hurricane, which lasted for 
two or three days and nights. The captain and mate 
were incapable, and, until lights from the shore were 
discovered, Mr. Phillippo, at the request of his companions, 
assumed charge of the navigation of the ship. Several 
days more of anxious watching followed, when on the 
fiftieth day of their voyage they arrived at Staten Island, 
to find that, owing to the delays that had been ex- 
perienced, the ship's owners had given her up for lost, and 
had obtained the insurance money, and were now highly 
incensed with the captain for having brought her into port. 
After a short quarantine, from which he escaped with the 
assistance of General van Buren, Mr. Phillippo paid brief 
visits to Philadelphia, New York, Boston, New Providence, 



'•^mw^t^^m^^mm^'m^'^mmmm^^'mm^immmmi^Kmmm^'^m9m^mm^^mnmm9'^^i^m^''^^fmmm^m^^'^^Ka^^^mmmmrm 



1829] Voyage io the United States. 89 

and other places, receiving a hearty welcome from various 
ministers of his own denomination, among whom he 
briefly mentions the names of Drs. Brantley and Day, 
Cone and Maclay, Wayland and Sharp. He was every- 
where received with much Christian kindness. His 
health rapidly improved, notwithstanding the privations 
and dangers through which he had passed. The return 
voyage, by way of St. Thomas, though sufficiently trying 
and anxious, was not marked by any striking incidents. 
As a minister of the Gospel, he was enabled to lead a 
fellow-passenger, dying with consumption, to the Saviour's 
feet, and to place some check on the unbridled tongues of 
the crew. He reached Spanish Town in safety on the 
23rd of September, finding his family well. Soon after 
his return, he had the happiness of baptizing 129 persons. 
Most of them had been accepted as candidates for church- 
fellowship before he left for the United States. Many 
more, he was happy to find, were seeking " to enter the 
gates of Zion," and were ready ''to declare what the 
Lord had done for their souls." 



CHAPTER XII. 

SUCCESSFUL LABOUR— ILLNESS-DEPARTURE FROM 

JAMAICA— 1830 TO 1831. 

It will be unnecessary to give in detail an account of 
the prosperous condition of the stations under Mr. 
Phillippo's immediate direction daring the eighteen 
months that followed his brief visit to the United States. 
He has, however, preserved a letter addressed to the 
Rev. Isaac Mann, of Maze Pond, London, in which he 
more particularly describes the feelings with which he 
carried on his manifold and arduous labours. The cor- 
respondence sprang out of an arrangement made by the 
Committee of the Society, by which the missionaries would 
be brought into more intimate relations with its members. 
They were invited to confide, more fully than in official 
letters is usually done, the anxieties, the spiritual ex- 
periences, and the trials through which a missionary must 
make his way. The sympathy thus begotten would, it 
was conceived, bear ffuit in a fuller appreciation of the 
missionary's difficulties, and in a more prayerful and stren- 
uous interest in his labours. The revelation to a tried 
servant of God of the heart's emotions would meet with 
a fraternal and loving response, and the missionary be 
girded to endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus 
Christ. 

It was in answer to a letter from Mr. Mann — the first of 
the series— that Mr. Phillippo wrote on the 19th of April, 
1830, portions of which may be given. He first speaks of 



iSjo] Successful Labour. 91 

the prejadicial effect of the climate on his health. 

*' Gibbon was not far from the truth when he styled this land 

the grave of Europeans* On this side, and on that^ it may 

emphatically be said, mankind fall off like leaves in 

autumn. The most healthy and vigorous of mankind are 

cot down at a. stroke. Nor are the signals of Death's 

approach to be detected at a distance. That, indeed, is 

the interval between the arrest and the execution of 

his commission. A raging fever touches the brain, or 

some other prevalent disease seizes the springs of life, 

and no physician's skill can administer either antidote or 

core. Such circumstances have never failed to remind 

me forcibly of my own mortality ; nor have they failed in 

some measure, I trust, to exert a beneficial influence on my 

engagements as a minister of Christ. But I never felt 

myself so much of a sojourner in the world as now. I 

literally view myself as standing amidst a shower of shot 

and shell and heaps of slain, every moment liable to 

receive the mortal wound, and appear before my Judge. 

I never felt so much before the necessity of personal 

piety ; of diligence, as a student of the records of eternal 

life ; of cultivating the temper and disposition of the 

Saviour ; of working while it is day ; and of setting my 

house in order." 

" I think I have already replied to some parts of your 
very kind letter, and have expressed my gratitude to you 
for selecting me for your quarterly correspondent. I have 
wanted an experienced friend at home. There have been 
moments when I have greatly needed disinterested 
counsel, encouragement, and sympathy ; but, above all, I 
have wanted excitement to personal piety, as it is that, 
I conceive, upon which our conduct, character, and 
usefulness as ministers of Christ so materially depend. 

" If I have had no particular causes for joy, I have had, 
I can truly say, no occasion for sorrow. My bread has 



92 Successful Labour. t'Sjo 

been given me, and my water has been sure. I have as 
tranquil and happy a home as is to be found anywhere in 
this world of vicissitude. As to spiritual things, * I know 
whom I have believed-' The atoning blood and perfect 
righteousness of the Redeemer are the foundation on 
which I build all my hopes for eternity, and the source 
from which I draw all my consolation. Often as I have 
had reason to mourn over the decay of the graces of 
religion, both in myself and in others, and numerous and 
powerful as have been the temptations that have assailed 
me, yet I have reason to bless God that my faith in Christ, 
as the only, yet all-sufficient. Saviour of sinners, has never 
been shaken. Not even in my darkest moments do I 
remember that I have ever questioned the evidences of 
my individual interest in the merits of His blood. Though 
I feel myself more than ever the subject of countless 
frailties and imperfections — a sinful worm of the earth 
habitually carrying about a body of sin and death — ^yet I 
hope I do not deceive myself when I say, that I am not 
more certain that the sun shines in the firmament than 
that I shall be finally presented faultless and spotless 
before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." 

After expressing his delight in his work, Mr. Phillippo 
proceeds :— 

" The Lord has done great things for us indeed, whereof 
we are glad. During the comparatively short period since 
I was permitted to commence my public labours, I have had 
the high honour of adding unto the church, on a profession 
of their faith in the Lord Jesus, nearly one thousand 
individuals; 145 have been added since the last annual 
report. The influences of the Holy Spirit have certainly 
been poured out upon the churches here in no ordinary 
degree — ^the effect more especially, I cannot help con- 
ceiving, of that spirit of prayer that is poured out upon 
the church at home. Do but continue your supplications 



J 830] Successful Labour. 93 

for the otttpouring of the Holy Spirit, and, feeble as your 
missionaries may be of themselves, they will be ' mighty 
through God/ They will feel no discouragement as to 
the issue of their exertions ; it will animate them in their 
work, and fill them with a resolution and confidence of 
success which the united opposition of earth and hell can 
never alter or shake. 

" At all the stations the prospects are such as to awaken 
our gratitude and animate our zeal. In every direction 
new fields for cultivation are rising up to view* My own 
congregation continues good, and, what I regard as a 
very pleasing circumstance, our white attendants are on 
the increase. There is now among that class a disposition 
to hear. We have sometimes on a Sabbath evening 
between twenty and thirty gentlemen and ladies present, 
and an equal number of soldiers. Several of the former 
(many of whom I regard as regular hearers) are Jews, who 
not only appear to hear the Word with great attention and 
seriousness, but who read the New Testament and mani- 
fest a willingness for tracts. Pray for them, my dear sir ; 
let your church pray for them ; and oh ! that the whole 
Christian world would manifest a more ardent desire for 
their subjection to the sceptre of Emmanuel I " 

In closing, Mr. Fhillippo observes : — " Opposition, you 
say, can never injure us if we are right. The whole of 
your remarks on this subject are truly valuable. It is 
more than ever my conviction that no obstacle can be 
removed, or any material good effected, by rendering evil 
for evil. I have never entirely lost sight of the advice 
with which your letter concludes — I mean, rather, your 
hint in 1823. I have given myself credit for having 
acted with considerable prudence as the result of that 
admonition ; but I must have my trials, and they cannot 
but be such as I must feel. I pray earnestly that I may 
be enabled to bear them in the spirit of my Lord.*' 



94- Successful Labour. [^830 

Among the interesting events in which Mr. Phillippo 
took part during the year 1830, he specially mentions 
the formation, in Kingston, of an auxiliary to the British 
and Foreign Bible Society, and a few days later another 
in Spanish Town. The first public meeting was held on 
the 2nd of February, 1 831, in Wesley Chapel, Kingston. 
It was a crowded meeting, and, in Mr. Phillippo's words, 
** formed an era in the history of the colony, being the 
first of the kind ever held in the island, and which a 
short time since could not have been attempted for fear 
of the hostility it would have excited." 

But while fully and incessantly occupied with the press- 
ing duties of his own immediate locality, Mr. Phillippo's 
active mind was often en^ged with the question how 
best to supply the many openings for Christian labour 
which offered themselves in the districts around. Writing 
to Mr. Dyer on the 3rd of December, 1830, he says: "I 
charge myself with much negligence in not having more 
repeatedly and powerfully urged upon the Committee the 
claims of the adjacent parishes. If you cast your eye 
over the map of Jamaica you will perceive the parishes of 
St. Elizabeth, Manchester, and Clarendon. All these, with 
the exception of a small Moravian settlement and one soli* 
tary Evangelical minister of the Establishment, are entirely 
without the faithful preaching of the Gospel." He then 
indicates a salubrious spot at Black River, in St. Eliza- 
beth, as suitable for a station, and relates his endeavours 
for six years past to establish stations in various parts of 
St. Thomas-in-the-Vale. At all these places some hun- 
dreds of eager hearers had been collected. In one he 
had only a mud hut in which to sleep, and often bad 
to return home from others late at night, through long 
distances, utterly exhausted. In two or three spots land 
had been ofiered him on which to erect chapels and 
houses, but the pecuniary means were wanting. He had 



1830] Successful Labour. 95 

frequently gone to St. Thomas-in-the-Vale on a Saturday 
eveming and preached next day in the woods till noon, 
beneath the shade of a tree. After a brief repast he had 
then ridden eighteen miles in a burning sun, or sometimes 
drenched with rain, to preach to a crowded congregation 
in Spanish Town. This exposure to rain, and sun, and 
dew had greatly injured his health. " Now," he patheti- 
cally adds, '*I am good for nothing, surrounded by 
claims, and I cannot satisfy them." He reminds his cor- 
respondent how that at Kingwood the magistrate of the 
parish, a member of the House of Assembly, had stolen 
the materials collected for building a chapel, and applied 
them to the erection of a house for himself. "This 
justice of the peace," he adds, " is now glorying in his 
shame, taunting the poor Negroes on his triumph over 
sectarianism, and threatens to expel religion from the 
parish. And shall he expel it ? I would ask the Christian 
world if I had a voice to make them hear. Shall he 
expel it from upwards of five hundred poor Negroes, who 
have for years been bleeding under the persecutions they 
have bad to endure for the sake of Christ ? I must beg 
the Committee to reply." But he hopes the people will 
themselves build a chapel on the site sold him by a noble- 
minded female of colour, if only the Society will vote a 
grant for the erection of a house. The need was great, 
for the parish contained 8,000 Negroes, and no other 
Christian teaching was within their reach. He concludes 
his earnest and powerful appeal by reminding the Com- 
mittee that established stations require continuous support, 
and that his own decayed state of health must shortly 
oblige him to return to England, when Spanish Town 
itself^ with all its numerous agencies, must be supplied. 

It was this state of things which had led Mr. Phillippo, 
on more than one occasion, to press on Mr. Dyer the 
importance and necessity of some arrangement being 



96 Illness, [1831 

made for the emplojment of native labourers, and the 
establishment of a seminary for their education. ** I have 
now/' he says, *' five whom I could thrust into the field ; 
and, well satisfied of their qualifications for the work, I 
have no doubt of their success. I repeat my conviction 
that in the interior of the country they would soon be far 
more efiicient than Europeans." * To Mr. Phillippo 
belongs the credit of being one of the first to realise this 
necessity, and to insist on the means required to meet it. 
The project met with Mr. Dyer's cordial approval, and it 
was one of the subjects set down for the consideration of 
the deputation which the home Committee at that time 
contemplated sending to Jamaica. It was not, however, 
destined to be realised till later on in the history of the 
mission, and under circumstances more favourable for its 
success. 

With the opening of the year 1831 it became more and 
more evident that Mr. Phillippo must seek re-invigoration 
of health in a more favoured clime. The new year, he 
remarks, "already begins to proclaim the realities of 
which it is the exponent. What a mercy it is that we io 
not hear the whole of its utterances, either of joy or 
sorrow, at once ; or it might have many things to say 
which we could not bear. While time is passing, may my 
future opportunities of doing good be more improved 
than in the past, remembering that 

* Time destioyed 
Is suicide, where more than blood is spilt.* '* 

The urgency of his health compelled the Society to 
make arrangements for his speedy return to England, and 
the first months of the year were spent in anxioas 
expectation of the arrival of the Rev. John Griffiths, who 
had been appointed to fill his place. Mr. Griffiths landed 

• Letter to Mr. Dyer, July 14th, 1831. 



1831] Successful Labour, 9 7 

in Kingston on the i ith of July, only, alas ! in ten days to 
fill a prey to the fatal fever of the tropics. Mr. Phillippo's 
departure, however, could no longer be delayed. Com- 
mitting his stations to the care of the Rev. John Clarke, 
with the full approval of his brethren, and obtaining 
the island licence to leave,* he sailed for his native 
land on the 7th of August, taking with him his wife and 
two children, and the bereft widow of Mr. Griffiths. 
While fall of regrets at this break in his missionary 
labours, Mr. Phillippo felt thankful that he had so long 
been spared to labour in the vineyard of his Lord. 
Whatever might be the will of his heavenly Father, it was 
his duty joyfully to acquiesce in it, only solicitous to be 
found walking in the path which His providence and His 
word should mark out for him. It was amid the loudly 
expressed regrets of his flock, and tokens of the warm- 
est affection from all classes, that he departed. It will 
suffice to copy one brief extract from a note received from 
the Rev. C. Dallas, an island curate. '' May the blessing 
of the God of all grace," says Mr. Dallas, '' bless both you 
and yours, and sanctify your voyage to you ! I would 
come to shake you by th& hand once more, but cannot. 
Be assured I will remember you among my Christian 
friends and brother servants of the Lord at His throne of 
grace. May He strengthen and establish you for His 
work, and send you forth again in health to preach the 
truth, accompanied by His power 1 " 

*At this time no one was allowed to leave the island without 
adTertistng his name in the Gazette for three weeks, and obtaining a 
certificate from the Island Secretary's office. Mr. Phillippo's licence 
was signed by the Governor, and was dated St. Jago de la Vega 
(Spanish Town), 6th of August, 1831. 



H 



CHAPTER XIII. 

FIRST VISIT TO ENGLAND— 1831 to 1833. 

It was with a heavy heart, and in silent sorrow, that the 
parents embarked, for their youngest child was veiyill. 
They hoped and trusted in God that He would disperse 
the dark cloud which hung over them. The dear child, 
however, became worse, suffering extreme pain. She 
required incessant nursing and other care, by night and 
day, while the vessel afforded anything but comfortable 
accommodation. In three or four days from Kingston, 
the little one died, and her precious remains were com- 
mitted to the " hoary deep." The following extract from 
Mr. Phillippo's diary well expresses the bitterness of this 
trial :— **' This sweet infant (she was a little over nine 
months old) had endeared itself to us all in a more than 
ordinary degree, and the circumstances under which the 
grim messenger snatched her from our embrace have left 
a wound which nothing but the Balm of Gilead can heal. 
During her sufferings my proud heart was at times ready 
to rebel ; but, O my God and Father, grant me that holy 
resignation to Thy will which I trust I sincerely desire. 
Help us both to say from our heart of hearts, * Thou hast 
done all things well 1 ' The Lord gave and the Lord hath 
taken away ; blessed be the name of the Lord." 

The voyage was long, and by no means a pleasant one. 
It terminated at Falmouth, then the rendezvous of the 
Mail Packet Service, on the 5th of September. On landing, 
they were met by the Rev. W. F. Burchell, the pastor of 



1831] First Visit to England Q9 

the Baptist church in Falmouth, and other friends, and 

soon found a welcome and a home amongst the kind and 

hospitable members of the congregation. After a few 

days' gratifying intercourse, the voyagers re-embarked on 

board the Irish packet for London. It was inconveniently 

crowded with Portuguese refugees and Irish labourers, and 

the voyage was rendered exceedingly unpleasant by the 

quarrelling of the passengers, the miserable berths, and the 

disgusting habits of the occupants of the steerage. Great 

anxiety was felt from the obvious incapacity of the captain, 

who ran the ship aground near Plymouth. One amusing 

incident tended to relieve Mr. Phillippo's vexations. 

Dreading to occupy his appointed berth, Mr. Phillippo 

delayed seeking rest till all the lights were out. Having 

to step over a portly person who had stretched himself in 

the lower tier, he grasped the leg of a man who, as he 

for a moment supposed, had by mistake entered the berth 

appropriated to him. His cry awoke the sleeper beneath, 

who vociferated, ** That is my leg. Please give it to me." 

" I beg your pardon, I did not know that any one would 

occupy that berth." He found next day that it was a 

cork leg and thigh, and its owner was that distinguished 

personage, the Marquis of Anglesea. 

Although Mr. Phillippo's health was much improved by 

the voyage home, he was constrained by the advice of his 

physician to decline the numerous engagements which 

were at once pressed upon him on his arrival in London. 

After a brief stay, he proceeded to Chipping Norton, 

taking Oxford on the way, to find among old friends and 

associations the rest he so sorely required. His enfprced 

leisure was, however, well occupied in the preparation of 

a reply to some strictures on the " Leader and Ticket 

system " pursued by the Baptist missionaries in Jamaica. 

This paper does not appear to have been published, and 

the painful events which took place in Jamaica in the 

H % 



100 First Visit to England. [1832 

opening months of the new year (1832) set this and all 
other questions of missionary policy aside. 

It was on the 20th of February that tidings reached 
England that the island was in a dangerous state ; that the 
Negroes had broken out into open insurrection in the 
parishes of St. James and Hanover ; and that the works 
and trash houses on numerous estates had been burnt, 
together with the houses and settlements of many free 
persons of colour. The militia had been called out, and 
the regular troops sent to the scene of the outbreak. 
Subsequent mails brought the further information that 
three Baptist missionaries (Knibb, Whitehom, and 
Abbott) and two Wesleyan missionaries had been 
arrested — ostensibly because they would not serve in the 
militia, but truly because they were suspected of being 
promoters of the insurrection ; and that not less than ten 
Baptist chapels and mission-houses had been destroyed 
by the enraged planters. Mr. Taylor, the colleague of 
Mr. Phillippo, was also seized, and his nearly completed 
chapel in Vere razed to the ground. With this exception, 
the scenes of tumult and bloodshed were confined to the 
northern portion of the island. In Portland, a society, 
consisting of 103 persons, was formed with the avowed 
object of destroying all the ** sectarian chapels.** At a 
meeting of the Colonial Union, convened to take measures 
to remove all '* sectarians " from the island, the following 
resolution was adopted :— " We, the undersigned, most 
solemnly declare that we are resolved, at the hazard of our 
lives, not to sufifer any Baptist or sectarian preacher or 
teacher, or any person professedly belonging to these sects, 
to preach or to teach in any house in towns, or in any 
districts of the country, where the Colonial Union extends, 
and this we do, maintaining the purest loyalty to bis 
Majesty King William the Fourth, as well as the highest 
veneration for the Established religion.*' 



1832] First Visit to England. loi 

Seven Baptist missionaries in all were at one time or 
another imprisoned, until their innocence of all complicity 
with the outbreak was established. The rebellious Negroes 
were very speedily overthrown, and the ringleaders shot 
after a brief trial by Court-martial. The rising began 
the day after Christmas-day, and by the middle of January 
the danger was past. Few, if any, white men lost their 
lives, either in the first rush of the insurrection, or during 
its suppression; but many hundred slaves were slain or 
hanged, in the endeavour to loosen from their necks the 
oppressors' yoke. 

The rising was unexpected. In England a planters' 
rebellion was feared, rather than one on the part of the 
slaves. Since the disallowance of the Slave Law threats of 
transferring the allegiance of the colony to the United 
States had openly been -made, even in the House of 
Assembly. Meetings of delegates were held in several 
parishes at which this treasonable act was violently 
advocated, and the slaves were given to understand that, 
in such a case, they would be slaves for ever. There is 
no doubt that a general idea prevailed among the Negroes 
that their freedom had been declared by the British Parlia- 
ment, and that it was unrighteously withheld from them. 
Even where the colonists did not sympathise with the 
violence of many of their number, they regarded the 
action of the British Government as a mischievous and 
unjust interference with the rights of property, and as a 
breach of their political constitution. The proposed 
ameliorations in the condition of the slaves were held 
to be most dangerous incitements to turbulence, and 
calculated to ruin the colony. If improvements were 
required, it was argued, they ought to come from them- 
selves. The slave-owners were abetted in these views by 
the West India mercantile body of London, who, on the 
6th of April, protested against the Order in Council as 



J 02 Fint Visit to England, [1832 

''unjust and oppressive, inconsistent with the parlia- 
mentary resolutions of 1825, and destructive of the rights 
of property." 

The struggle for emancipation was now transferred to 
England. The planters would not confer any of the 
liberties so ardently desired, and their bondsmen could 
not wrest freedom from their grasp. It only remained 
to arouse the British people to the sufferings of the slave, 
and to fight the battle of the oppressed in the constitu- 
tional arena of the British Parliament. It is needless, 
here, to pursue the history of the conflict, which, after 
stirring the nation to its depths, issued in the emancipa- 
tion of all slaves held in bondage in any portion of the 
dominions of Great Britain. It is a part, and a noble 
part, of the annals of our country. It must suffice here 
briefly to indicate the share taken in the *' good fight" by 
the subject of this memoir. 

Mr. Phillippo's first appearance on the platform as an 
advocate for the slave was at the anniversary of the 
Baptist Missionary Society held on the 21st of June, 
in Spa Fields Chapel. The Rev. William Knibb had 
arrived from Jamaica a few days before, and, at Mr. 
Dyer's request, Mr. Phillippo left to his eloquent colleague 
the description of the true nature of Negro slavery, and 
the narrative of the insurrection and of the sufferings 
that he and his brethren had undergone.* It was Mr. 
Phillippo's duty to dwell on the missionary aspect of 
their work. The stations, he urged, must not be deserted 
because of this dreadful interruption; the chapels must 
be rebuilt, and the missionary band must be replenished 



* Mr. Hinton, in his Life of Knibb (p. 144), seems to imply that 
Mr. Phillippo was silent on the horrors of slavery from a desire to 
avoid the subject. Mr. Hinton was not aware that this topic was left 
to Mr. Knibb by pre-arrangement with the Secretary, Mr. Dyer. 



1832] First Visit to England. 103 

and increased. He testified that the intellectual powers 
of the slaves had been awakened ; that their superstitions 
were giving way, and that they heard the Gospel gladly* 
From fifty to sixty thousand souls had been converted, and 
from eighty to one hundred thousand were seeking the 
way to heaven, in connection with the various denomina- 
tions. He depicted the eagerness of the people to hear 
the Word of God ; and recounted the sacrifices they made 
for the purpose of attending the house of prayer, and 
stated that Christian natives were being raised up to 
carry on the ministry of grace among their Negro 
fellow-men. Finally, he anticipated the time when the 
quondam slaves of Jamaica would return to Africa, and 
carry to the homes of their fathers the glad tidings of 
salvation. For himself, he was ready to return and die 
in Jamaica, and did not doubt that the events which 
had taken place would be overruled for the furtherance 
of the Gospel. 

The demand made on Mr. Phillippo by the numerous 
meetings now held up and down the country was often 
greater than his strength could bear. Everywhere he had 
to encounter the false and slanderous statements of the 
Jamaica journals, which were widely disseminated in this 
couitry. The letters he received from the brethren 
Taylor and Clarke, who were supplying his stations, told 
him of the indignities to which they and their congrega- 
tions were subject. Their lives were in constant jeopardy. 
The most deadly opposition to the progress of the Gospel 
among the slaves and towards their ministers continued, 
and the whole country presented an aspect of discontent 
that offered little prospect of a return to peace and 
prosperity. 

Mr. Fhillippo's defence of his missionary brethren, and 
his expositions of the character of slavery in the West 
Indies, were not confined to his appearances on the plat- 



104 First Visit to England. [1832 

fonn.* He communicated many facts to the public papers* 
and in Norwich, at the request of the late J. J. Gumey, 
Esq. (who took the chair), and other friends, such as the 
Revs. J. Alexander and W. Brock, and the Sheriff of 
Norwich, he delivered, in the autumn, a course of four 
lectures on Jamaica, and on the state of the West Indian 
colonies. The attendance was very large. The event did 
not, however, pass away without calling forth strenuous 
opposition from the friends of colonial interests in the 
local press. The lectures were not, indeed, without 
influence in Jamaica. For the Rev. J. Taylor, writing 
at the end of the year on "the gross and infamous 
oppression" to which the people were subject, and on 
the virulent persecution that he himself had to endure, 
tells Mr. Phillippo "that it would not be prudent" for 
him to return at present. But the people hoped that his 
absence would not be prolonged. There were some 
indications, however, that hostility, in its worst forms, had 
begun to subside. For Mr. Taylor reported that he was 
able again to visit some of the stations which he had been 
obliged for several months to abandon. 

At the beginning of the year 1833, Mr. Phillippo's 
health was so far improved that he could accept the 
invitations which poured in upon him from all quarters, 
not from ministers and churches of his own denomination 
only, but also from those of the London Missionary Society 
and from the Anti-Slavery Society and its auxiliaries in 
London and elsewhere. He spoke in Exeter Hall at the 
meetings of the London Mission, the British and Foreign 
School Society, the Religious Tract Society, the Sunday- 



* His state of health at the time prevented Mr. Phillippo from 
giving the evidence, which he was requested to do, before the Select 
Committee of the House of Commons, appointed on the 30th of May, 
1832, on the extinction of slavery throughout the British dominions. 



^■.■« 



"833] First Visit to England. 105 

School Union, and also enjoyed frequent and gratifying 
intercourse with many eminent men and philanthropists 
of the day. " My engagements," he says, " at this time 
were at Portsmouth, Portsea, &c., in conjunction with my 
friend and brother, Mr. Knibb, where we held very 
interesting and successful meetings. The venerable Dr. 
Cox and friends next claimed my services at Hackney, 
and soon after I went down again to Norfolk to fulfil 
engagements there. During my short stay I took a last 
look at East Dereham, the town of my birth, and the 
residence of my earliest years. I was the subject, more 
than on my first visit, of a feeling of isolation. I found 
myself a stranger, unable to say which were the most 
painful, the things that were changed, or those that were 
not." 

In a letter to his wife he gives us the following brief 
notes of a tour made in Wales in the month of August. 
He entered Wales at Swansea. 

'* Here I called," he says, " on Mr. RofT, the Baptist 
minister, and was advised by him and others not to stop 
at Carmarthen, but proceed at once to Milford Haven. I 
therefore arrived on the following morning by mail. In 
the afternoon Mr. Stephens, the deputation with me, and 
some other ministers, arrived. The meeting in the 
evening was a good one. Next day we proceeded by 
boat to Pembroke Dock, and there held a meeting also. 
Saturday I was accompanied by a Welsh brother and 
Robert Smith, the black brother from Jamaica, to 
Haverfordwest. Here I preached on the Sabbath to a 
very large congregation in the morning, and to a still 
larger one at the Independent place in the evening. On 
Monday evening was the missionary meeting, when 
brother Stephens and myself, as the deputation, were 
specially engaged, and a very interesting and successful 
one it was. Tuesday we proceeded in a kind of car to a 



io6 First Visit to England. [1833 

place called Bethlehem. Here brother Stephens preached 
in Welsh, and I in English. We dined on bacon at a 
good old farmer's house, which was as dark as a prison, 
and then went on to Benlah, where we found a meeting of 
the annual Association for the county. A good old 
Welsh brother, his head enveloped in a red kerchief, was 
giving utterance to some of the strangest guttural sounds 
I ever before heard, and accompanying them with such 
violence of voice and action as made me almost tremble 
for his poor frail body. The chapel was crowded, and 
much devotion appeared to be manifested, although at 
first it was considerably disturbed by the appearance of 
Robert Smith, at whom all stared as if he had dropped 
from the clouds, and been the inhabitant of another world 
than ours. On the outside of the chapel a stage was 
erected, where we, the deputation in particular, were to 
exhibit on the morrow. Very much fatigued. Smith and 
myself proceeded to the quarters designed for us. After 
breakfast on the morrow we held a most animating 
meeting, presided over by the squire of the district and 
an M.P., and proceeded onward to Beulah. The service 
was already begun in Welsh. A good old brother and 
my companion preached in Welsh, I in English. Again 
we found ourselves on our way, passing through clouds 
of dust, and narrowly escaping an accident by the break- 
ing down of our vehicle, which compelled us to walk 
for two or three miles to reach our destination. In the 
town all soon became bustle and confusion. The 

r 

shoemaker threw down his lapstone, the carpenter his 
axe, the blacksmith his hammer — in a word, all business 
seemed at a stand, the inhabitants rushing to the doors 
and windows, and into the streets, to see our black 
companion, having previously heard of him and his 
history, and some never having seen a black man before. 
Here at Fishguard we partook of some refreshment and 



I 

1833] Firs/ Visit to England, 107 

were again ready for our work. A very large congregation 
was present, but a very small collection was made, though 
said to be a better one than usual. The next morning we 
pursued our course to Newport. Here we held a public 
meeting, and stayed at a public-house in the intervals 
between the services. The following morning we started 
for Cardigan, where I now^m. On entering the town, it 
being market-day. Smith again excited much interest and 
wonderment. We were followed along the^ streets by 
hundreds of men, women, and children to the place of 
our temporary abode. And here again came the trial of 
our lungs and physical endurance. We each had to 
preach twice in the country at considerable distances in 
the day, and towards evening delivered addresses from a 
platform in a field, where the whole town and neighbour- 
hood seemed to be gathered. Thus far at present. We 
are to occupy the same field again this evening, and then 
proceed* attending to other claims, to Aberystwith. Now 
farewell." 

The Negro, Robert Smith, above referred to, had made 
bis escape from slavery and imprisonment in Jamaica, 
and, as a fugitive, reached England, hidden in the hold of 
a vessel, to seek redress by an appeal to his mistress. He 
had paid a large sum for his freedom to this lady's agent 
in Jamaica, who had fraudulently failed to give a receipt 
for the money, and to secure for the man his papers of 
manumission. Being arrested and in danger of re-sale 
because he could not produce his ** free papers," allowed 
only to visit his djring wife manacled and under guard, he 
resolved to escape. This he accomplished, and, landing 
in London, found his way to Mr. Phillippo*s lodgings at 
Clapham.* With much difficulty, owing to her marriage 

* He was known to Mr. Plnllippo as an inquirer, from attending the 
classes of the congregation in Spanish Town. 



io8 First Visit tn England. [1833 

and change of name, Mr. Phiilippo discovered the lady's 
residence, and there strangely enough encountered her 
agent. He absolutely denied the facts, and in the lad/s 
presence denounced both the missionary and the slave as 
impostors, threatening both, on their return to Jamaica, 
with summary vengeance. He was curtly told that^ at any 
rate, would be prevented, and that if Smith returned at all 
it would be as a free man, and that he would most surely 
be placed beyond his grasp. Smith's history becoming 
known, it excited the deepest interest. His simple story, 
supplemented by a relation of atrocities suffered by others 
still in bondage, deeply touched the audiences he 
addressed, and helped to swell that great wave of national 
feeling which broke on the system of slavery with over- 
whelming force, and swept it from the world-wide empire 
of Great Britain. While in London Smith was baptized 
and united with the church in Eagle Street, under the 
pastoral care of the Rev. Joseph Ivimey. On his return to 
Jamaica, he settled down as a tradesman at Old Harbour, 
where, after some years, he died looking for " the mercy of 
our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." * 

As Mr. and Mrs. Phillippo's health was sufficiently 
improved to justify their return to Jamaica with their two 
boys, their passage* was taken, and on the day before 
Christmas-day they bade farewell to their friends in 
London, after a pleasant, though in some respects sorrow- 
ful, devotional service — sorrowful because they were about 
to leave behind, not only old attached friends, but their 
eldest daughter Hannah. *' Keen, indeed," says Mr. 
Phiilippo, '' was the pang of separation. So great a trial 

* In a picture painted by Mr. R« Rippingill to commemorate the 
passing of the Act of Emancipation, the portraits of Smith, and his 
wife and child, appear, expressing their thanks to the British nation 
that they are free. 



1834] Firsi Visit to England, 109 

had we not endured since we committed her dear little 
sister to the deep on onr voyage home." 

They did not, however, finally leave England till the 7th 
of February. Their vessel, with many others, was detained 
in the Channel by contrary winds. The tedium of this 
delay was pleasantly varied by visits to hospitable friends 
at Portsmouth and Ryde. In th^ latter place, they met a 
band of not fewer than twenty-six missionaries of various 
Societies, wind-bound like themselves. '* We are now, 
at length,** writes Mr. Phillippo in a letter to the Secretary 
of the Society, *' near the Needles, going along delightfully, 
all our sails spread. The morning is very fine, and the 
wind fair. Upwards of three hundred vessels, many of 
which are now around us, are estimated to have left the 
Wight this morning. Governors for the East and West 
Indies, admirals, ambassadors, missionaries, emigrants, 
all proceeding to their several destinations. What a train 
of interesting reflections do these circumstances create ! " 



CHAPTER XIV. 

RENEWAL OF MISSIONARY LABOURS— 1834. 

Sevbrb gales had to be encountered, and once a dangerous 
storm of three days' duration, before the voyagers could 
land at Kingston, on the 13th of March. But their recep- 
tion speedily effaced from their minds the discomforts of 
the passage. "Our welcome can be imagined," Mr. Phil- 
lippo says, " only by those acquainted with the impulsive- 
ness and affection of the Negro character. On our 
arrival at the mission-house, they rushed into the premises 
from all parts of the town, and soon after from all parts of 
the surrounding country, to bid us welcome. The chapel 
and the entire mission premises were crowded. The 
joyous excitement was not exceeded by an3rthing that 
could be conceived of, even by those who are not 
strangers to the African race. Our brethren also seemed 
to vie with each other in their congratulations on our 
arrival, so long delayed, in improved health and buoyant 
spirits, and had sent conveyances for us to Kingston. 
The next day was the Lord's-day, and crowded congrega- 
tions assembled to greet us, and again to listen to the 
message of eternal life from the lips of the servant of the 
Lord." 

The old work immediately engaged the attention of 
Mr. Phillippo. With regard to the state of the church 
and congregation in Spanish Town, he says: "I feel 
myself laid under almost inexpressible obligations to 



1 834] Renewal of Mismnaty Labours. 1 1 1 

* - ■!■ I ■■■■■-■--I 

brother Clarke. I found everything as I could have 
desired — the premises, the Sunday-school, the church — 
everything. He is a dear and valuable brother, nor is 
his wife less excellent. They are both exceedingly 
beloved by the church and congregation, and, I may add, 
by all. I have expressed to them my most cordial thanks, 
and I should feel very much gratified if the Committee 
would show that they are not backward to commend 
where commendation is deserved. Everything begins 
again to look natural, and I am very far from regretting 
my return." * 

Arrangements were immediately made to place in Mr. 
Clarke's hands the stations in the parish of St. Thomas-in- 
the-Vale, having Jericho as the centre of his missionary 
operations. But Mr. Phillippo speedily endeavoured to 
establish himself at "Above Rocks" in the mountains, 
and also at other spots in St. John's. Writing on the 29th 
of May, he reports his Sabbath-school as more than ever 
interesting. The children in attendance were principally 
those of slaves coming various distances from the farms 
and pens, and exhibiting a strange thirst for the knowledge 
which should fit them for the freedom now so near. He 
again organised an adult school, and found that reading- 
books were in great demand. *' Meet a Negro," he says, 
" on the road, and give him a spelling-book or a tract, 
and his benediction will follow you as far as you are 
visible.*' Influenced by what he had seen in England, 
Mr. Phillippo soon added a temperance society to his 
measures for benefiting the Negro, and his example was 
quickly followed by his colleagues — Mr. Taylor at Old 
Harbour, and Mr. Clarke in St. Thomas. His congrega- 
tion in Spanish Town necessarily received the chief 
attention. On the Lord's-day it was his custom to hold 

• Letter to Mr. Dyer, May 17th, 1834. 



112 ' Renaval of Missionary Labours. ['834 

three public services in the chapel, besides occasional 
church -meetings, and exercising constant supervision over 
the Sabbath-school. Monday evenings were devoted to a 
prayer-meeting, Wednesdays to a Bible-class, Thursdays to 
the weekly lecture. Preaching visits were paid to the 
country, and to the stations at Passage Fort, Red Hills, 
and in the mountains of St. Catharine. These employments, 
together with the pastoral duties imposed by a fellowship 
of nearly a thousand members and the erection of school 
buildings and chapels as they were required, demanded 
incessant diligence, and left little time for relaxation or 
repose. But he was cheered and sustained by evident 
proofs that his labours were not in vain, and that God 
continued to smile on his ** feeble efforts," as he terms 
them. 

It has been seen that from his first arrival in the island 
Mr. Phillippo gave great attention to the question of 
education. It was his conviction that, great as were the 
advantages of freedom, it would lose much of its value if 
the slave remained in the degrading state of ignorance to 
which slavery had doomed him. During his stay in 
England he had pressed the subject on the Committee of 
his own Society, but more particularly on the considera- 
tion of the British and Foreign School Society. In the 
following letter to Mr. Henry Dunn, dated April, 1834, 
Mr. Phillippo briefly explains his plans, and narrates the 
steps he had taken to fulfil his desires : — 

" You are aware that before I left England I designed 
the erection of a school-room for the education of 
the poor children, chiefly black and coloured, on the 
principles and plan of the British and Foreign School 
Society. Immediately on my arrival I commenced the 
necessary arrangements, and, on the assumption of the 
Government by the Marquis of Sligo, I entered into 
negotiations for the purchase of land for the purpose. 



1834] Renewal of Missionary Labours. 1 1 3 

''A few days ago, hearing that bQth his Excellency and 
the Marchioness were well disposed towards the education 
of the people, I thought it would be well to apprise them 
of my intentions. After a few days, I received his 
Excellency's reply. In the meantime, however, or soon 
thereafter, it was currently reported that prompt and 
decided measures were to be taken for the establishment 
of a model school on the Madras system, by and under the 
auspices of the Governor. This report was soon con- 
firmed, as in a day or two after receiving his Excellency's 
reply an application was made by the Governor's 
secretary to a person who had been conducting our 
school to take charge of a similar institution to be 
established by Government, distinctly stating that it was 
to be on the Madras system, the secretary being well 
acquainted with that system, he having witnessed its 
operation and success in Madras. One of my objects in 
now writing you is to apprise you of this, and to ask 
if the funds at the disposal of the Home Government and 
in the hands of the Governor here are to be applied to 
one exclusive system. This may not possibly be the wish 
of the Governor, who is regarded as truly liberal in his 
views on the subject ; but there is danger from the 
advisers around him. It will either be sustained by patron- 
age, or by pecuniary means on the part of Government, 
and, after the novelty is passed away, be suffered to 
languish for want of interest on the part of its quondam 
friends. As the Negro will not acquire virtue by the 
simple Act of Emancipation, neither by that Act will the 
prejudices of the master undergo revolution. What 
guarantee, therefore, have we of the permanency of such 
an institution ? It is with the conviction that such an 
institution would be comparatively inefficient, and only in 
a trifling degree meet the wants of the masses, that I write; 
but, even if it should succeed better than can reasonably 

I 



/ 



1 1 4 Renewal of Missionary Labours. ['834 

be expected, there will still be room for the exercise of 
private benevolence. 

"Under any circumstances, I am still determined to 
persevere in my purpose to build the school-room, and 
even to lay the foundations broader and deeper than at 
first proposed. It is now my purpose, not only to include 
boys in my plan, but girls and infants (each department 
separate), and, if possible, ta fit up a room in which 
the children will have the advantage, as formerly, of 
being instructed after school -hours in several useful 
and productive arts, or in the general pursuits of 
agriculture. To carry out the plan to the full extent, 
and with the most cheering prospects of success, all 
that is necessary is to secure the sympathies and aid 
of that part of the British public which is distinguished 
by its attachment to the principles of civil and religious 
liberty." 

The erection of the school-rooms on the plan proposed 
was begun on the 25th of September, when the foundation- 
stone was laid by the Gustos of the parish, the Hon. 
T. J. Barnard, and P. Watkis, Esq., the latter a barrister and 
gentleman of colour, and an uncompromising advocate 
of emancipation, amidst a great assemblage of all classes. 
The cost of these structures was largely met by the 
liberality of friends in England; but soon after their 
completion he was able to announce that a sum of /'450, 
granted by Lord Glenelg (Secretary of State for the 
Colonies) through the representations of Lord Sligo and 
two esteemed Friends in England, had enabled him to 
finish the buildings and furnish them throughout. The 
schools were two in number, one for bojrs and one for 
girls, and were calculated to hold 300 scholars. They 
ranged with the mission premises, and had a frontage, 
including a committee-room in the centre, of seventy-two 
feet. At the same time the chapel was enlarged so as 



1834.] JRenewal of Mmionary Labours. 1 1 5 

to hold 500 more hearers. The scene at the opening a 
few months later Mr. Phillippo thas describes: — 

"Last Sabbath-day there were more persons present 
than on the first Sabbath in Augast. The chapel was 
crowded almost to suffocation. Between three and four 
hundred were estimated to have been outside ; and multi- 
tudes went away, unable to bear exposure to the sun, or to 
hear the preacher's voice. The members were not only 
80 numerous as to throng completely the lower part of 
the chapel, but the porticoes also, and the gallery stairs. 
Four or five had literally squeezed themselves into the 
little enclosure beneath the pulpit, which I occupy as my 
stand at my week-day evening services, and to some the 
sacred elements were handed through the windows. The 
appearance which this vast assemblage presented in the 
neighbourhood on its egress from the chapel, exchanging 
mutual congratulations, and covering the whole face of 
the ground, was deeply interesting. Some of this multi- 
tude came from a distance of ten and fourteen miles, 
whilst hundreds came from beyond a circle of five miles 
from the centre of the circuit. It was a high and 
hallowed day o.n many accounts. Not only did a thousand 
(more or less) of us sit down and commemorate the dying 
love of our once crucified, but now risen and exalted, 
Saviour, but I had the honour and happiness of introducing 
to that ^ feast of love,' and of giving the right hand of 
fellowship to, one hundred and seventeen persons, who never 
before enjoyed the privileges of their high and holy 
relationship, and to whom I had just administered the 
sacred rite of baptism on a profession of their faith in 
Christ, in the presence of a great cloud of witnesses. 

'^ Some of these were young and interesting — had been 
nurtured almost from childhood in our Sabbath-school — 
had been ' turned from darkness unto light, and from the 
power of Satan unto God/ chiefly through the instrumen- 

I 2 



1 1 6 Renewal of Missionary L abours. C ' ^34- 

tality of instructions there received ; and, above all, were 
among the * first fruits* of that blessed institution unto 
Christ. No less than six of these interesting young 
persons were before me. Though once scholars^ they 
were now Sunday-school teachers. And under the influence 
of feelings and principles which sound Scriptural education 
inspires, they seemed so fully aware of the nature Of the 
vows they had vowed, and of their deep responsibility to 
God and to His Church, that they continued bathed in 
tears during the greater part of my address to them. 
These circumstances awakened the sympathies of the 
whole assembly ; and, while all eyes were turned towards 
them, many and fervent, I doubt not, were the prayers 
offered up that God would preserve them from all the 
future dangers of their pilgrimage, and at last minister 
unto them an abundant entrance into glory. There was 
a third circumstance of interest connected with these 
youthful converts, and which I must not omit to mention. 
Three of the females had been slaves ; one of them had 
been redeemed under circumstances of painful interest 
by friends at Reading; the others under circumstances 
of interest no less painful by friends in Jamaica. Two of 
them are the active and efficient school-mistresses in the 
'Jamaica Metropolitan School,^ and the other is training 
for the same department of usefulness," ' 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE APPRENTICESHIP— 1834 TO 183S. 

Bt these and other plans Mr. Phillippo hoped to prepare 
his people for the enjoyment of that modified measure of 
freedom enacted by the first reformed British Parliament 
in 1833, and appointed to come into operation on the ist 
of Aug^t, 1834. The agitation for this humane measure 
had proceeded concurrently with the great struggle for *' the 
emancipation of the people of Great Britain from the rule 
of an oligarchy which for two centuries had been the 
predominant force in English politics." At the election 
which immediately succeeded the passing of the Reform 
Act, a large number of members were returned pledged to 
the abolition of slavery. It may truly be said that it was 
only the intense feeling displayed by the middle and 
working classes which forced the Bill on an unwilling 
Legislature, and compelled the Ministry of Earl Grey to 
attempt the settlement of the question. *' A great part of 
the nation," says the historian Alison, '* including a vast 
majority of the urban , constituencies, were seized with a 
passion on the subject not less strong than that which 
carried reform, and more estimable, as being less impelled 
by selfish ambition, and more springing from humane 
feelings."* The Nonconformist bodies were first and 
foremost in this merciful and beneficent agitation. 
Every congregation was visited, and the villagers of the 

• Alison's " History of Europe," vol. v., p. 420. 



ii8 The Apprenticeship. [>834 

remotest hamlets assembled in crowds to listen to the 
voice of the missionaries Knibb, Bnrchell, Phillippo, and 
others, pleading for freedom for the slave. It was fitting 
that Mr. Boston, a member of the Society of Friends, a 
Dissenter from the Established Church, which, on this as 
on so many other occasions, held aloof from the popular 
agitation for human rights, should bring the subject before 
the House of Commons. The Government yielded to his 
urgent representations. Not that the members of it 
withheld their sympathy from the movement, but, in their 
opinion, there were many other measures which had 
long been pressing for settlement, and which seemed to 
demand their immediate attention. For there was not 
a department of the State which did not need reform. 
Nevertheless the Government resolved to listen to the 
voice of the nation, and to make a strenuous and final 
effort to remove the blot of slavery from every portion of 
the empire, and it will ever remain as the especial glory 
of the first reformed Parliament that many of its earliest 
hours were given to the accomplishment of this *' act of 
national virtue, unparalleled in the history of the world." 

On the 14th of May, 1833, Mr. Stanley, who had become 
Colonial Secretary, explained to a committee of the whole 
House the measure on which the Cabinet had determined.* 
Great as were the pecuniary interests at stake, they were 
not, he said, to be compared with the moral and social 
consequences which must result. ''The freedom of 
800,000 of our own, and many millions of foreign, slaves, 
the emancipation and happiness of generations yet unborn, 
the ultimate destiny of almost a moiety of the human race, 
were bound up with the question.^ But it was not 
possible longer to delay a settlement of it in the face of 
the " growing determination on the part of the people of 

* Molesworth's ** History of England,*' vol. i, p. 255. 



1834] The Apprenticeship. 119 

this country at once to put an end to slavery — a 
determination the more absolute and the less resistible 
that it was founded in sincere religious feelings, and in a 
solemn conviction that things wrong in principle cannot 
be expedient in practice." * The Government, therefore, 
proposed the inmiediate abolition of slavery, and the 
substitution during a period of fourteen years of a system 
of apprenticeship, in which the emancipated slave might 
be prepared for the full enjoyment of personal liberty. 
After prolonged discussions, the measure ultimately took 
the form of a gift of twenty millions to the owners of 
slaves, as a compensation for their claims, and the 
. establishment of an apprenticeship of seven years for 
predial slaves, and of five years for all others. This 
portion of the Bill met with strenuous opposition from 
Mr. Buxton, Lord Howick, and other friends of the Negro, 
but was advocated by Lord Macaulay, and by the members 
of the Government and their supporters.f '' Against this 
part of the scheme," says Mr. Phillippo, *' I strongly 
protested at a meeting held by the Anti-Slavery Society in 
the Guildhall Coffee House, and would have done so 
publicly at the meeting, in the conviction that the greater 
part of the slaves would be worked to death before the 

* Alison, vol. v., p. 421. 

t Lord Palmerston's views are stated in a letter to the Hon. 
W. Temple, nnder date of June 25th : — *< Both West Indians and 
saints are moderately dissatisfied with our plan for the abolition of 
slavery. To be sure, we give the West Indians a tolerably good 
compensation. I really believe that the twenty millions are about the 
whole value of all the estates, at the present market price ; so that 
they win receive nearly the value of their estates, and keep those 
estates into the bargain. I must say, it is a splendid instance of 
generosity and justice, unexampled in the history of the world. 
People are sometimes greatly generous at the expense of others ; but 
it is not often that men are found to pay so high a price for the luxury 
of doing a noble action." — " Life of Lord Palmerston," voL ii., p. 163. 



120 Tike Apprtnticeship. . [1834. 

fourteen years had expired ; but I was persuaded to be 
silent by an influential member of the Society of Friends. 
I also undertook to declare my conviction, as representing 
the whole slave population, that they would sooner remain 
in bondage than accept the boon proposed. I made my 
protestations kno^n to several of the gentlemen present^ 
who seemed to think it would be unwise to throw any 
impediment in the way likely to postpone a settlement of 
the question ; that we must be thankful for what we had 
got, and not risk a certainty for an uncertainty." We 
shall presently see how completely subsequent events 
justified the forecast of one who so thoroughly understood 
both the Negro and his master.* 

Still, extravagant and imperfect as were the terms* 
slavery had received its death-blow ; and great were the 
preparations made to welcome the day on which the first 
gleam of freedom should shine. Mr. Phillippo has given 
us a lively and graphic account of the events of the day at 
Spanish Town, and it is a fair example of the rejoicings 
which took place in all parts of the island. 

'* According to previous arrangement among our mis<^ 
sionary brethren generally, the day was to be set apart as a 
day of devout thanksgiving to Almighty God. On the joyful 
morning, a morning (notwithstanding the suffocating 
closeness of the atmosphere and the threatening aspect 
of the clouds the day before, exciting apprehensions of 
a hurricane) as serene and beautiful as ever shone out of 
the heavens, the apprentices were seen at an early hour 
clothed in clean and neat attire, flocking from ail parts of 
the country into the town. Most of them repaired to the 
houses of their respective neighbours and friends for rest 
' ■ ■ » 

* Mr. Stanley, when Lord Derby, in a speech in the House of Lords 
on the 7th of Febroaiy, 1838, stated that the apprenticeship was only 
a system of modified slavery. — Hansard, voL zcvi., p. 175. 



1834] The Apprenticeship. 121 

and refreshment, after which thousands hastened to the 
different places of worship open to receive them — almost 
literally as " doves to their windows." At ten o'clock the 
chapel was so crowded that I could scarcely find my way 
into the pulpit; and, by the time the service was 
commenced, multitudes could not get within reach of the 
doors or windows. This was before intimated to be a 
meeting of devout acknowledgment to God for the great 
boon the principal part of my sable congregation had 
that day received ; and nefver shall I forget my feelings 
when I saw them for the first time in my life standing 
before me in all the consciousness of freedom. 

** It seemed as if I was in a new world, or surrounded 
by a new order of beings. The downcast eye, the gloomy 
countenance, and, strange as it may seem, even the vacant, 
unintellectual physiognomy had vanished. Every face 
was lighted up with smiles, and I have every reason to 
believe that every heart rejoiced. After such an introduc* 
tion as the occasion would naturally dictate, I called on 
several of my sable brethren to lead the devotions. Their 
addresses to the Divine footstool, which they approached 
with great reverence and self-abasement, were a mingled 
flow of supplication and gratitude,' adoration and love. 
There was scarcely a tongue in the vast assembly that did 
not respond to every sentiment and utter a hearty Amen. 
Those I had chiefly fixed upon to engage in these holy 
exercises, being more immediately interested in the great 
event that blessed morning had ushered in, might be 
expected to have dwelt with peculiar emphasis on the 
subject of their present altered condition and future 
prospects as to this present world; but it was not so. 
These considerations seemed lost in the overwhelming 
importance attached to them in reference to things 
spiritual and eternal. 

" Said one : * O Lord, our gracious Saviour, what we is 



122 ne Apprenticeship. ['834 

meet togeder for dis mornin' when we don't usual do so 
dis day of de week? We is come to bless and to 
magnify dj great and holy name dat dou has done dis 
great blessin' unto us, to bring us out of de house of 
bondage dis day. O Lord, what is dis dat we eye see, 
and we ear hear ? Dy Word tell we dat king and prophet 
wish to see de tings dat we see, and to hear de tings dat 
we hear, and die without de sight. O Lord, if we 
desperate wicked and tubbom heart won't prais dee as 
dey ought, pluck dem up by de root I Here, Lord, we 
give dem up unto dee ; melt dem wid de fire of dy lov, 
wash dem in de pure fountain of dy blood, and make dem 
what dow would have dem to be.' 

'* ' Blessed Lord,' said another, ' as dou so merciful pare 
we, to let we see dis blessed morning, we want word, we 
want tongue, we want heart to praise de. Debil don't do 
de good to us, but dou do de good to us, for dou put it 
into de heart of blessed European to grant us dis great 
privilege ! derefore may none of we poor sinner praise 
de debil by makin' all de carouze about de street, but 
fock like dove to deir window to praise and glorify dy 
great name.' 

'* ' Since dou has don' dis great ting,' said a third, ^ O 
dat we may love dee and dy Gospel — may we neber turn 
dy blessing into a curse, may we be diligent in our proper 
calling, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. O Lord, now 
do dou make thine arm bare, and turn de heart of all de 
people unto dee. We bless dee dat dou has incline so 
many poor dyin' sinner to come up to dy house dis day. 
O Lord, teach deir heart — turn dem from deir own way, 
same as dou did de city of Nineveh I Now make dem 
trow down deir rebellious weapon, fight against dee no 
more; for dou says. Who eber fight 'gainst dee, and 
prosper ? Our eye is up unto dee, we cannot let dee go 
except dou bless us wid dy grace — dou only canst change 



1834] The Apprenitceship. 123 

de stubborn heart, turn it like de river of water is turned, 
dat all may serve dee from de least even unto de greatest.' 
*' Among the hymns sung on this deeply interesting 
occasion was one which, as missionaries, had we ever 
given out before, would have subjected us to a charge of 
treason. It was sung in loud chorus, the vast assembly 
simultaneously rising up on the repetition of the two first 
lines : — 

* Blow ye the trumpet, blow, 
The gladly solemn sonnd ! 
Let aB the nations know, 
To earth's remotest bound, 
The year of jubilee is come ; 
Return, ye ransomed sinners, home/ 

"The service concluded, Mrs. Phillippo having a 
considerable number of pin*cushions, bags, &c., sent by 
kind friends from England, left on hand after the sale, I 
gave notice that I would distribute them as far as they 
would go among the female part of the congregation, on 
condition of their keeping them in commemoration of the 
day, and that on presenting them when the term of their 
apprenticeship expired (1'.^., those who survived) they 
should each be presented with a gift more worthy their 
acceptance. Happy should I have been to have distri- 
buted among the more intelligent part of them the 
munificent gifts voted them by the British and Foreign 
Bible Society ; but they had not arrived. 

" By this time (nearly two o'clock) the children, to the 
number of four hundred, had again assembled, and had 
seated themselves in the centre of the chapel, they 
especially having been led to expect some little memento 
from Christian friends in England on this never-to-be- 
forgotten day. They were clothed in their best attire, 
and looked remarkably clean and neat. We distributed 
among them medals, pin-cushions, bags, and books, 



124 The Apprenticeship. \}^l\ 

completely exhausting the stock of these articles we 
possessed. The closing devotional exercises being 
attended to, they then returned in an orderly manner to 
their homes. After a short interval for refreshment and 
rest, the hour arrived for evening service. The congrega? 
tion was again overwhelming, and exhibited, as usual» 
every grade of colour, and, I was about to say, every 
diversity o\ creed, and circumstance, and character. I 
preached as well as my exhausted energies of both body 
and mind allowed, and thus closed the services of one of 
the most interesting and glorious days that has ever 
adorned the page of history." 

The following Sunday was even a more remarkable day. 
With slavery, Sunday markets were abolished. All the 
shops were accordingly closed, and thousands upon thou- 
sands of the newly enfranchised peasantry came from all 
parts of the country to their sanctuaries. " It was a high 
day," says a missionary ; " a Sabbath long to be remem* 
bered, a foretaste of better things to come."* 

Mr. Phillippo was soon confirmed in his belief that 
greater atrocities than ever would be committed on the 
slaves by their owners, "in order to make the best (the 
worst?) of a system forced upon them, as they considered, 
by their enemies." During the fefw months antecedent to 
the I St of August, persecution was especially directed 
against slaves connected with Baptist missionaries. In 
February, 1834, Mr. Phillippo reports that, while some 
Negroes were engaged in prayer after returning from a 
funeral, their merciless proprietor came to the house, de- 
manding in a rage that the individual who had been pray* 
ing should be delivered up to him. The man escaped, 
but the occupant of the house was immediately seized, 
handcuffed, and made fast in the stocks. Next day he 

* Gardner's ''History of Jamaica," p. 30U 



1834] The Apprenticeship. 125 

iras sent to Rodnej Hall Workhouse to be further punished. 
The female slave of the same house was also laid on the 
ground and severely flogged. On the 30th of April 
several slaves and free persons of colour were indicted at 
the quarter sessions for attending a so-called illegal meet* 
ing of slaves held for the purpose of hearing the missionary 
preach. The slaves were found guilty, admonished, and 
discharged. The free people, four in number, were fined, 
and on refusing to pay were sent to gaol. But these acts 
of inhumanity were only a prelude to the far worse 
cruelties that were to come. In November eleven ap<* 
prentices, for some trifling oflence, were publicly flogged 
in the market-place of Spanish Town* The culprits were 
marched to the place of punishment under an escort of 
police, and the special magistrate improved the event by 
an address to the spectators. The suflerers were then 
paraded, with their backs lacerated and bleeding, about 
the town, and before Mr. Phillippo's door — "a spectacle," 
he adds, *' I had never seen in the worst times of absolute 
slavery." ''The atrocities committed under colour of 
law," continues Mr. Phillippo, '* were greater than I had 
ever known. I wrote to Lord Sligo (the Governor of the 
island) and to friends in England, stating some of the 
cases of severe flogging, by order of special magistrates, 
for the most trifling ofiences, and stated my conviction 
that, if the system was not soon abolished, the slaves — for 
such they really were — would be goaded to an insurrection 
more general and far more disastrous in its consequences 
than had ever yet occurred. This communication was read 
in the House of Lords, and was noticed by Lord Brougham. 
There is reason to believe that at the same time it influ- 
enced Lord Sligo shortly after to set his apprentices 
entirely free. With this determination, he appointed two 
gentlemen and myself to see that his purpose was carried 
into effect." Lord Sligo had replaced Lord Mulgrave in 



126 The Apprenticeship. ['834. 

April, 1834, with the especial view of carrying out the 
Emancipation Act. Numerous special or stipendiary magis- 
trates were appointed under the Act, who appear to have 
been selected with little care, for some of them proved to 
be more cruel and ignorant than the planters themselves. 
It is said of one, records Mr. Phillip po, a navy officer, 
that, in conversation with a gentleman who had offered 
him advice, he thus expressed himself: — " The fact is, sir, 
that we have entered on a new area, that corrosive 
measures must be used, and that there must be mutual 
condescensions on both sides I " 

The course taken by the House of Assembly, and the 
spirit displayed in the Session of 1 834-5, more than justified 
the apprehensions of Mr. Phillippo. A Bill was brought 
in for the infliction of corporal punishment for minor 
offences. "Messrs. Hodgson and Fowler thought flagel* 
lation a very laudable practice, and that no occasion should 
be lost of allowing it in reasonable measure. Mr. Hylton 
conceived it to be a most unnecessary waste of fine feel- 
ings to spare the apprentices, whom he designated as a 
set of barbarians only fit to be cudgelled. Here and there 
only a member was found sufficiently bold to protest 
against the wild talk of his colleagues." A Mr. Watkins, a 
gentleman of colour, intimated his opinion that these 
civilisers of barbarians might themselves be benefited by 
an application of the lash on their own backs, " as it was 
the only chance of making them wise legislators." Every 
attempt, however well-meant, on the part of any member 
of the Assembly to meet the necessities of the hour in a 
fair spirit, was met with contumely and indignant reproach. 
In a letter to a friend, Mr. Phillippo thus describes the 
state of things shortly after the system had come into full 
operation : — 

" When with you in London, I ventured to predict, as 
you will remember, that the apprenticeship would not 



1 835] Thi Apprenticeship. 127 

work. Nor does it I Nor can it be made to do so. Both 
the Governor and the planters are at their wits' end to 
know what to do. The whip, it is feared, has only 
changed hands, and what matters it to the sufferer by 
whom that instrument is wielded ? 'The Negroes will not 
work,' say their masters. ' Massa give me no lowance ' 
(allowance), says the apprentice. ' He no give me 
Friday — no make leave off four o'clock good' (viz., at the 
proper time), 'make me work when me no able — old man, 
old woman, and piccaninney, all work.' Under such 
circumstances, can tranquillity and peace be expected ? 
Almost everywhere there is confusion and every evil work. 
May God avert another insurrection ! But before I can 
expect this devout wish to be realised I must pray, and 
the friends of the African and of humanity must pray, 
and work more earnestly than ever until this accursed 
species of ^t^oxi-slavery be completely abolished." 

By many friends in England these fears were thought 
to be exaggerated. Remonstrances were addressed to 
Mr. Phillippo against the forwarding of what were said 
to be '' excited tales " of the atrocities committed under 
the new regime. It was declared to be inconceivable 
that the planters should so recklessly act in the teeth, as 
it seemed, of their own interests. But the exasperation 
of the planters and masters of the apprentices increased 
in violence against the Home Government as well as 
against the philanthropists of England and the mission- 
aries. Stipendiary magistrates who endeavoured con* 
scientiously to fulfil their duties with justice and impar- 
tiality were bitterly assailed. " They were denounced," 
says Mr. Phillippo, "in the House of Assembly in the 
most disgraceful manner, and in the coarsest language. 
Another order of that august body was issued to the 
missionaries to appear before a committee of that House 
to answer such questions as they might think proper to 



y 






) 



128 77ie Apprentices Alp. ['835 

; 

propose.* This investigation was owing to the action of 
the Baptist missionaries in endeavouring to promote the 
social interests of the people in opposition to the oppres* 
sions and exactions of their former owners. On this 
f account they were more virulently than ever, if that were 

possible, denounced as political parsons and demagogues. 
They were told that it was their duty to preach the Gospel, 
and to leave to statesmen, legislators, and judges the 
enactment and administration of civil laws." 

Mr.Phillippo, however, did not thus limit his conceptions 

of his duty, and he continued to adopt such measures as 

f seemed to him best adapted to elevate the Negro, to col- 

I lect such facts as would illustrate the state of the people, and 

/ to forward the result of his inquiries to parties interested in 

the success of the Act of Emancipation. He also willingly 
united with his brethren in the publication of a protest 
/ against the Report of the Committee of the House of As- 

sembly to which the inquiry into the causes of discontent 
had been referred. This curious document asserted that 
a pernicious influence had been ** exercised by sectarian 
' clergymen over the minds of the head people on the 

^ • plantations, who were led to believe that they were violat- 

ing the principles of their faith and their duty to God " 
by obeying the laws 1 In their reply the missionaries 
declare these statements to be false. They affirm that 
the Assembly was acting on unsupported statements or 
on garbled and ex parte evidence, and that their untiring 



• The order to Mr. PhiUippo ran as follows : — " You are hereby 
required to attend the committee appointed to inquire into the causes 
of the discontent among the apprentices—their reluctance to work as 
formerly, even during the limited time prescribed by law, and the 
almost universal determination on their part not to work for wages 
during their own time—on Wednesday, the 12th inst., at tea o'clock, 
in the Assembly Room." 



1836] The Apprenticeship. I70 

efforts were *• directed towards ,the preservation of the 
peace of the community." 

It had been the cherished hope of the Home Govern* 
ment that the planters would make the best iise of the 
interval provided by the apprenticeship, to pass such 
measures of legislation and social improvement as would 
prepare the way for the period of full liberty. Never was 
hope more painfully disappointed. The result cannot be 
better expressed than in the following portions of a speech 
addressed by the Marquis of Sligo to the Assembly in 
February, 1836: — 

"The very extraordinary nature of the message I 
have received from the House of Assembly compels 
me to point out to the Legislature of Jamaica the 
position in which the conduct of one of its branches 
has placed the colony ; to that branch, therefore, must 
I more particularly address myself, while I review its 
proceedings during the present Session — while I point 
out what disposition it has evinced to meet the wishes of 
the mother country. 

" I pressed on you the establishment of more Courts 
of Assizes, so strongly recommended by the pre- 
sentment of the Grand Jury. You took no notice of 
it. A revision of the laws affecting the discipline of 
gaols, and other places of confinement, was recom- 
mended to you. All these subjects have remained 
unnoticed. The whipping of females^ you were in- 
formed by me, officially, was in practice; and I called 
upon you to make enactments to put an end to con- 
duct so repugnant to humanity^ and so contrary to law. 
So far from passing an Act to prevent the recurrence of 
such cruelty ^ you have in no way expressed your disapproha- 
turn of it. 

*' I informed the House that, in the opinion of the 
British Government, the taxation imposed by the local 

K 



130 The Apprenticeship, ['836 

authorities on the property of apprentices was quite illegal ; 
you totally disregarded this suggestion. 

**1 sent you down no less than four messages on. the 
subject of an extended system of education; as no 
' measure on the subject has emanated from the House, 
can I do otherwise than conclude that you are indifferent 
to it ? I informed you that /"is, 000 sterling had been voted 
by England for the support of education in the colonies, 
with the promise of still further assistance being afforded, 
and j/^tf have taken no steps to make it available. I trans- 
mitted to you despatches from the Secretary of State, 
recommending the repeal of the 33rd Clause, ivith a view 
to increase religious instruction in the colony; you have 
not attended to the recommendation. 

*' I recommended the introduction of an Emigration 
Bill ; I pointed out to you the injury done to the poorer 
classes of the claimants for compensation by the schemes 
of interested persons ; I communicated to you the cir- 
cumstances, arising out of your own decision, relating to 
the Police Bill ; you have taken no notice o/it." 

*' Thus," says Mr. Phillippo, in a letter to the Morning 
Chronicle^ ** they have positively treated with contempt and 
scorn every benevolent and wholesome recommendation 
of the parent Government, and continue venting their 
malignity against the Executive, as the organ of the Govern- 
ment, in a shameful and unparalleled degree. Nothing 
can be more evident than that, even at the time they were 
giving their sanction to the Abolition Act, our legislators 
were determined to nullify every provision of it which 
wore a favourable aspect to the Negro. It is out of all 
reason that such a course can any longer be pursued. 
What will the British Government do in this extremity ? 
Their course is plain. They must eitlier arm the 
Governor with full powers to enforce obedience to their 
own wholesome and holy determinations, annihilate the 



— ^rr — . 



1 8 3 e> J The Apprenticeship, 1 3 1 

local legislature, or» although last not least, at once and 
for ever subdue our political strifes and heart-burnings by 
proclaiming our peasantry totally and unconditionally 
free.'* 

In a subsequent page the issue of this conflict will 
appear. 



K 2 



CHAPTER XVI. 

EDUCATIONAL LABOURS— 1835 to 1837. 

It has already been seen that Mr. Phillippo gave much 
attention to the question of education, and made un- 
ceasing efforts to promote it within the range of his 
personal action. In January, 1835, we find him replying 
at some length to a series of questions forwarded by the 
Secretary of the Society, and it was very gratifying to him 
to learn that his proposal for the establishment of an 
institution for the training of young men for the ministry 
was favourably viewed by^ the Committee. Its necessity 
became daily more evident to the missionaries, from the 
rapid growth of the mission, and from the altered social 
condition of the people. Some idea of Mr. Phillippo's 
own exertions may be learnt from his reply to a message 
from the Government of the island on the subject. He 
states that he had in his charge the following schools : — 

*' In Spanish Town, connected with the Metropolitan 
establishment. One boys' school, one girls' school, and 
one also for training teachers, as a normal school; a 
Sunday-school for boys and girls, an adult Sunday- 
school, and an adult daily and evening-school for both 
sexes. 

"At Highgate or Sligoville. One day-school on 
the plan of Fellenburgh, one boys' and one girls' day- 
school, a Sunday-school, an adult Sunday-school, and 
an adult evening-school for apprentices of both sexes. 

*' At Passage Fort. A day-school for boys and girls. 



1835] Educational Labours, 1 3 3 

a Snnday-schooli and an adult day-school for apprentices 
of both sexes." 

A still wider range of influence was opened to him by a 
communication from the Marquis of Sligo on the 29th 
of June. Lord Sligo, from the commencement of his ad- 
ministration, had shown himself much interested in the 
education of the labouring classes. He now requested 
Mr. Phillippo* to lay tefore him a plan of general educa- 
tion, having special application to the circumstances of 
Jamaica, in which there existed so many people attached 
to religious denominations other than the Establishment. 
It was desirable that the plan adopted should not inter- 
fere with the peculiarities of any. 

The important document forwarded by Mr. Phillippo is 
too long for insertion here; but it may be briefly sum- 
marised. In the first place, Mr. Phillippo commends the 
plan of the British and Foreign School Society as liberal 
and comprehensive, while its simplicity and economy are 
unrivalled. It knows no creed, recognises no sect, teaches 
no catechism, but takes as its fundamental principle the 
common Christianity of Christendom, and adopts the 
Bible as a class-book. The discipline of its schools is 
cheerful and inspiring, and encourages habits of industry. 
Mr. Phillippo then proceeds to point out its adaptation to 

* Lord Sligo wrote as follows : — " Highgate, June 29tli, 1835. — ^^^ 
Sir, —As I know you have turned your mind to the education of the 
poor Negroes, I should feel much obliged if you would communicate 
to me any plan of general education, without reference to any peculiar 
religious opinions, which you may have formed. I have been for some 
time endeavouring to collect information on the subject, and to form 
some plan ; but, up to this day, I have not been able to hit upon any 
system which is at all likely to answer, without so enormous an out- 
lay as I do not think the Government at home would find the House 
disposed to agree to. Will you, therefore, be kind enough to com- 
municate to me any such plan as you may think feasible ? — I remain, 
my dear Sir, your.faithfiil Servant, Sligo." 



134- Educational Labours. ['^35 

the needs of Jamaica, and advocates, after suitable in- 
quiries, the formation of a central Government school, with 
dependent parochial schools, under mixed committees of 
all colours and creeds. He further estimates the cost at 
/*2So for each school of loo children, most of which 
would be obtained from the school fees, supplemented by 
the liberal support of the friends of education. But he par- 
ticularly urges, as indispensable, the immediate formation 
of a model school in Spanish Town for the training of 
teachers, without which, in the then condition of the 
island, no local schools could be furnished with suitable 
schoolmasters or mistresses.* 

Wise as these suggestions appear, the Governor was 
unable to induce the House of Assembly to take the sub- 
ject into consideration, nor was it until after the Disturb- 
ances of 1865-66, and the voluntary suicide of the House 
of Assembly, that the Government of Jamaica was able to 
introduce into the island a general system of elementary 
instruction. The efforts of the Home Government were 
equally unavailing. 

In October, Mr. Phillippo was busily engaged in reply- 
ing, at the request of Lord Sligo, to a despatch from the 
Colonial Secretary of State, Lord Glenelg, as to the possi- 
bility of educating adult Negroes, and the prospect there 
was of employing them in the instruction of their fellows. 
In the long and important paper supplied to theGrOvemor, 
Mr. Phillippo treats the subject from every point of view, 

• The Governor replied as follows : — " Highgate, July 3rd, 1835. — 
Many thanks, my dear Sir, for your prompt attention to my wishes on 
the subject of education. I shall, if you will allow me, keep tiie books, 
&c., for some time, till I collect the whole of the information I am 
seeking for, as I confess myself quite at sea on the matter, and have 
seen so many objections to those that have suggested themselves to 
me that I have as yet decided on none. I hope, however, ere long to 
be able to hit on something, when I will probably have to trouble you 
further on the subject. — My dear Sir, your faithful Servant, SuGO.'* 



r 

1836] Educational Labours, 135 

more especially urging the necessity of an immediate 
attempt to educate the Negro in order to remove from his 
mind and habits of life the pernicious effects of slavery, 
and to fit him for a life of patient, continuous, and suc- 
cessful toil as a free man. The paper is an able state* 
meat of the entire case, and deserved the commendation 
it received from Lord Glenelg,* to whom it was sent by 
Lord SligOy with strong, expressions of approval, and a 
reconmiendation that the plans suggested should be 
adopted. Mr. Phillippo did not, however, approve of a 
compulsory system of education, either for children or 
adults, which, in a subsequent despatch to the House of 
Assembly, was advocated by Lord Glenelg. No doubt 
these circumstances contributed largely to the favourable 
reception of the memorial which, about this time, was 
addressed to the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's 
Treasury by Mr. Phillippo, and supported in the strongest 
manner by Lord Sligo. It was a request for help in the 
erection of the buildings of the Metropolitan school. 
The sum of £s^^ ^^ immediately granted, and with ex- 
pressions of pleasure by Lord Glenelg highly gratifying to 
Mr. Phillippo. 

The encouragement he received prompted Mr. Phillippo 
to establish schools in every place within his reach, and 
he also interested himself in bringing to the notice of 
the Government the schools of his brethren that were 



• Lord Glenelg's despatch is as follows : — ** Downing Street, 
January ist, 1836. — My Lord, — I have the honour to acknowledge your 
loidship's de^atch, No. 174, of 25th October, enclosmg a communi- 
cation from the Rev. Mr. Phillippo on Negro education. I have 
perused these papers with the interest which they well deserve, and I 
beg to thank your lordship for the information they contain. My 
fitqnfcc ate also due to Mr. Phillippo for the valuable suggestions 
which hb experience of the Negro population in Jamaica has enabled 
him to make. — ^I have, &c., &c., Glenelg." 



1 3 6 Educational Labours. [ i ^ 3 ^ 

needing aid.* He also laid before his friends in Jamaica 
and England the plan of a college, similar in some 
respects to those established in India at Serampore and 
elsewhere, for the culture of the Negro race in the higher 
departments of learning. His report of the issue of his 
endeavours for this object is, " that the scheme was re- 
garded with the utmost apathy," and that his efforts, both 
in Jamaica and in England, with respect to it were in vain. 
The object, however, long possessed his mind, and in his 
volume on ''Jamaica, Past and Present,*' published in 
1843, he has inserted in the Appendix his plan in full 
detail. Since then some attempts have been made to 
accomplish it, both by the Government and by private 
individuals or societies; but in its main features the 
scheme remains unfulfilled. 

About this time Mr. Phillippo addressed an interesting 
letter to Mr. James Cropper, of Liverpool, on the estab- 
lishment of an orphanage for both sexes on some salu- 
brious spot in Jamaica. The subject had been discussed 
with Mr. Cropper when he was last in England. Mr. 
Phillippo now gave that gentleman the results of his 
inquiries, earnestly recommending the adoption of the 
plan, in the conviction that it might be highly useful, and 
tnight be made self-supporting. He also pointed out k 
spot near Highgate, in the mountains above Spanish 
Town, as eminently adapted for the experiment. This 
project, however, amid the -pressure of other events, was 
laid aside, and never carried into execution. 

Some extracts from a letter addressed to his generous 
friend, Joseph Fletcher, Esq., in the month of September, 
1^35* will suitably close the above record of Mr. 
Phillippo's educational labours during the peribd under 

* As in the case of the Suffield school-house at Falmouth, then in 
course of building by the Rev. W. Knibb. 



1835] Educational Labours. 1 3 7 

review. After referring to the prosperous condition of his 
school undertakings in Spanish Town, he proceeds: ''I 
have intimated that his Excellency, the Governor is 
favourable to religious instruction. A few days ago I had 
the pleasure to receive a letter from him, stating, among 
other things, that the plan embraced by my communica- 
tion was the most eligible that had come before him, and 
that it should have his most earnest recommendation to 
the Government I, of course, urged the voluntary 
principle. His Excellency, indeed, has expressed it 
verbally to me as his decided opinion that the general 
establishment of schools would be one of the most im- 
portant and salutary acts of beneficence to all classes 
of the community that could be conferred upon the 
country. 

''The addition to our chapel has been long since 
completed ; but, had I made it twice the present 
dimensions, I should by no means have exceeded the 
provision required. Our chapel on a Sabbath morning is 
usually crowded to excess, and seldom is it the case but 
that multitudes are obliged to sit or stand in the yard, 
unable to gain admittance within the walls. The addition 
was principally intended for the Sabbath-school, and will 
seat between four and five hundred children and teachers. 
Almost every Sabbath I find on my descent from the 
pulpit full fifty boys and girls sitting upon and about the 
staircase, where it is impossible for them to benefit by the 
service. We have lately had a gratifying increase of 
respectable and efficient teachers, principally the sons and 
daughters, or relatives, of respectable merchants in the 
town, or persons of independent circumstances. One of 
them was a teacher in Surrey Chapel Sunday-school for a 
period of twelve or fourteen years. 

'' At Passage Fort the foundation-stones of a chapel and 
school-room were laid last week. Groups of children came 



138 Educational Labours, ['835 

from Kingston and Spanish Town to witness the ceremony 
and pass the day. Besides the children, no less than five 
hundred spectatora were present. Many were overseers, 
proprietors, and others, who came to testify their good- 
will to the undertaking. If no other good was effected on 
the occasion, it was one of the greatest triumphs achieved 
over vulgar prejudice that was perhaps ever known in the 
West Indian colonies. Respectable persons of" almost all 
colours met around the same table in acknowledged 
equality. At the table at which I had the honour to pre- 
side was a magistrate, a candidate for parliamentary 
honours, a solicitor, a merchant, a doctor and his. lady, 
several missionaries, and a considerable number of ladies, 
some white, some brown, all mingled together as members 
of the same great family. On a comparison with the state 
of society a few years ago, I could not forbear reflecting 
on the wonders which, the Gospel effects in the civilisation 
of mankind, and in the restoration of that peace and har- 
mony among them which sin has so fatally disturbed. 

''A school will be attached to the station (as to each of 
the others), and, from the favourable disposition mani- 
fested by the overseers, managers, and others, I apprehend 
no lack of scholars. There are about three thousand ap- 
prentices within a distance of three miles of the location, 
the greater part connected with my church and congrega- 
tion. I have no doubt means will be forthcoming. The 
silver and the gold are His, under whose direction and 
smile we have, we trust, begun the execution of the plan." 



CHAPTER XVII. 

WHITE UNTO HARVEST— 183s to 1836. 

The numerous demands on Mr. Phillippo's energies from 
withont by no means rendered him unmindful of the 
spiritual necessities of the people under his special charge. 
In January, 1835, he is writing in the most urgent terms 
to the Secretary of the Mission to supply him with means 
for the extension of the Gospel in various parts of the 
parishes of St. Catherine and St. John. The claims of 
Passage Fort, of Highgate, and of Red Hills are pressed 
in detail. The people, he states, are urgent for instruc- 
tion ; and the more anxiously does he seek for aid since 
**the feeling of the lower classes in these districts is 
universally in favour of the Baptists.'* " I most earnestly 
hope," he adds, " the Committee will give the question 
their very serious consideration ; I, indeed, implore them 
to do so." If, however, he found the Committee unable to 
meet his wishes to the fullest extent of his needs or desires, 
he yet gratefully records that their grants were kindly and 
liberally apportioned. On the 8th of August he returns to 
the subject. *'The whole land is before us," he sa}'S, 
*' and when once we take possession of it, which we as a 
denomination are doing in a most unexampled manner, 
the warfare to a great degree will be over. After a few 
years more of patient, persevering, and zealous effort on 
the part of the Society and their agents here, I much 
question if the Baptists do not outnumber all other re- 
ligious societies. By a letter just received from brother 



HO White unto Harvest, [1835 

Burchell, it appears that he preached on the ist inst to 
a congregation of seven thousand persons. A communi- 
cation from brother Knibb furnishes accounts almost 
equally delightful. I was on that memorable day at St. 
Thomas-in-the-Vale, and laid the foundation-stone of the 
chapel there being erected by brother Clarke, and the 
attendance, and everything, indeed, connected with the 
event, was most cheering. On the following day, brother 
C. baptized, as I understand, 184 persons. Brother Taylor 
baptizes to-morrow.'* 

In the month of May he records, in a very graphic 
manner, the baptism of forty-eight converts at Passage 
Fort. **It was a high and hallowed day,'' he says, "to 
that part of my sable flock whose earliest associations 
were connected with the place. Such general solemnity, 
or so great a degree of interest, I never saw exhibited 
before. The whole scene was delightful — I might have 
said inspiring. The majestic, but (at that early hour of the 
morning when the preliminary hymn was sung) half-de- 
veloped outline of the Liguanea Mountains stretching 
themselves before me in all the glowing depths of shade ; 
the deep purple of a mass of retiring clouds overhead, 
tinging with a darker hue the already dark-blue surface of 
the sea; the solemn stillness of the atmosphere, the 
gently languid ebbing of the waves upon the beach, added 
to the deep-toned feeling of devotion which such an 
occasion may be supposed to create in every pious mind, 
exerted an influence upon my spirit which I seldom feeL 
I seemed to breathe the atmosphere of love, combined 
with an almost indescribable sensation of reverential awe. 
Surely God was with us. And have we not the promise of 
His special presence, and of the peculiar manifestations of 
His grace, if we seek Him in His ordinances ? 

" At half-past ten a.m. I found myself standing amidst a 
congregation amounting to 1,500 or 1,600 persons. The 



1835] Whiie unto Harvest, 141 

premises contained three large dilapidated sheds, which 
stood originally detached, but which, by the exertions of the 
candidates the day before, were now united by a roof con- 
stmcted of the branches of the cocoa-nut and mangrove* 
tree. This afforded a tolerable shelter for nearly the whole 
mass ; but the entire range of buildings, if buildings they 
may be called, being situated so closely to the water's 
edf^t^ and indeed of such irregular and novel construction 
as to render a sight of all impossible, it required no small 
effort to make myself distinctly heard. 

'' Here, too, as at the solemn ceremony that had just 
been witnessed, circumstances were of an unusually interest- 
ing character. 'The very spot on which we were now assem- 
bled was the old Spanish Fort, from which the village 
derives its name ; and of this we had sufficient proofs from 
the decayed rampart which encircled us, and the heavy 
pieces of artillery that were planted here and there. Here 
it was that a handful of our countrymen, under the com- 
mand of Colonel Jackson, long before the conquest of the 
island by Penn and Venables, are reported to have effected 
a landing, from which they advanced to St. Jago de la 
Vega (now Spanish Town), the capital, plundered it of its 
wealth, and put again to sea. Within these very battle- 
ments, over which the proud and bloody ensign of Spain 
so long floated, and where, amidst the disgusting scenes 
of riot and debauchery that were exhibited, her impious 
sons often chanted the Salve Regina, and other hymns, 
was planted the peaceful standard of the Cross, and were 
smig, but we trust in higher and holier strains, the high 
praises of Immanuel. On such an occasion, and under 
such circumstances, it was natural that a train of reflection 
should be awakened in my bosom as to the contrast with 
those bygone days now exhibited before me, and that I 
should embody them in my address to the dense mass that 
hang upon my lips. The effects produced seem to have 



142 White unto Harvest. L'^3^ 

been salutary. May they be permanent, and God shall 
have all the glory I " 

Later in the year the new chapel at Sligoville was 
opened for Divine worship. Althoagh numbers present 
had scarcely ever been in a place of worship before, the 
greatest possible seriousness and attention were visible on 
every countenance. All were cleanly and neatly attired. 
They returned to their homes highly gratified by the 
interesting and impressive services of the day. The 
chapel was built on a spot of great picturesque beauty, 
and could be seen from long distances around. 

These large and rapid additions to the churches of 
persons so lately living in a bondage in its very nature 
degrading and immoral, naturally awakened the fear in 
many thoughtful minds that they could not be in all cases 
the subjects of Divine grace. It was also supposed that 
the discipline of the churches must suffer from the 
want of efficient supervision where such large numbers 
were concerned. Mr. Phillippo was perfectly aware of 
these presumptions, and, on their being stated to him by 
a friend, at once set himself to reply. The most impor- 
tant portions of his letter are the following: — ^"When 
individual churches comprise such numbers as are com- 
prised in most of our churches in Jamaica, and when it is 
taken into account that most of our converts have 
suddenly emerged from a state of semi-heathenism, it is 
scarcely to be expected that they should endure a 
critic's eye, or that there should not be found amongst 
them occasional inconsistencies and sins; this the, more 
especially as from the influences of nnjust and oppressive 
laws we, as ministers, have been precluded access to the 
dwellings of our flocks, and have been unable to see the 
influence of religion on them in their families. Any 
instances of dereliction among them each missionary 
deplores as deeply as the pastor of any other church, and 



1836] White unto Harvest, 143 

I feel confident that none .could more diligently labour, 
both in the pulpit and out of it, to prevent them. 

'* In the admission of members, it is impossible for us to 
be more cautious. I hesitate not to say that we carry 
matters in this respect to an extreme. Seldom is it the 
case that we admit any one to communion under a two 
years' probation, whilst it is the common case that they 
have been three, four, five, and even seven years.^' 

After citing v^ous cases as illustrations, Mr. Phillippo 
then proceeds to remark on the methods by which 
discipline was maintained : — 

^So much for the admission of members — now for 
disciplines Most of us have a church-meeting every week ; 
and having one or two deacons (or those who act as such, 
by assisting us in the discharge of our pastoral duties) on 
almost every estate, numerous as our churches are, 
scarcely a single act of serious discrepancy can arise without 
oar knowledge. Things, indeed, of the most trivial nature, 
and others less trivial, but which are connived at at home, 
are brought for adjustment before our churches here. As 
soon as any one is convicted of being in the indulgence 
of actual sin, the preliminary steps, of course, being taken, 
he is instantly excluded, and the cause of that exclusion 
is publicly proclaimed. To show to the world our in- 
tolerance of sin, in whomsoever it is found, we have been 
apt to exceed the apostolic command; hence ^suspen- 
sions ' are very little known amongst us, and of those who 
are the subjects of excision, scarcely one in ten turns back 
again into the world. So far as my own church is con- 
cerned — and I have a right to presume that others of the 
same standing are equally uncorrupt — I am persuaded that 
a purer church, under the same circumstances, does not 
exist in any missionaiy station in the world. I might have 
gone farther, and put it on a footing with the churches 
with which I am acquainted in England and America. 



144 White unto Harvest. ['836 

But if the churches in Jamaica are inferior to them in 
piety and sound Scriptural knowledge, what has been the 
cause, and who are to blame-? Not the missionaries and 
their flocks, but British Christians, in so scantily supply* 
ing the field with labourers. I, for instance, have a 
church amounting to nearly 1,500 members, with perhaps 
an equal or a greater number of inquirers — this, together 
with preaching at three subordinate stations, exclusively 
of regular week-day services at Spanish Town, with 
marriages and funerals, and chapel and school-house 
building, &c., &c. I can, therefore, scarcely be supposed 
to perform so many pastoral visits, or to possess so many 
opportunities for communicating private instruction, as a 
pastor at home, who has less than one-third of such duties 
to perform. 

'* Our incessant and earnest cry to Britain, as mission- 
aries, has ever been, ' Come over and help us ; for the 
harvest is great, and the labourers are few/ " 

The assistance here called for was indeed most urgent. 
The modified measure of freedom allowed by the Emanci- 
pation Act had been followed by an enormous increase 
in the congregations throughout the island. The mission- 
aries were overwhelmed with the demands on their time 
and strength. They were regarded as the only true and 
sincere friends of the oppressed, and were resorted to in 
every case of distress. Their interposition in cases of 
cruelty was prompt and frequent, and the gratitude of the 
people showed itself in their most ready acquiescence in 
the wishes of their pastors, and in the most liberal con- 
secration of their earnings to the cause of God. In his 
letter to the Association which met at Kingston in March, 
1836,* Mr. Phillippo speaks with enthusiasm of the 

* This Association had been broken up by the persecutions of 
1 83 1-2, but was revived at Rio Bueno in 1835. — "Voice of Jubilee,'* 
p. 89. 



1836] White unto Harvest, 14.5 

"delightful prospects of usefulness to the Church of 
God " everywhere apparent. " Obligations of the deepest 
gratitude to the Head of the Church," he said, " were 
laid upon them by the extraordinary success with which it 
had pleased Almighty God to crown the efforts of His 
ministers and people." As a proof of this, Mr. Phillippo 
proceeds to mention that since his return from England 
435 persons had been added to the church by baptism in 
Spanish Town alone, which, after deducting deaths and 
exclusions during the year, left a clear increase to its 
fellowship of 40 1 . The spiritual state of the church he thus 
describes : — '* We have been in the almost uninterrupted 
enjoyment of peace. Attendance upon the outward 
ordinances of religion has been increasingly regular and 
punctual. A spirit of Christian love, manifested in acts of 
kindness towards each other, is more and more visible. 
The personal and relative duties of our holy religion have 
been more faithfully and perseveringly performed. The 
discipline of the church has been more strictly and im- 
partially administered, and a growing attachment has been 
manifested for the local interests of religious truth, and for 
its diffusion throughout the world. Both in our collective 
and personal capacity we have deeply to lament our barren- 
ness and unfruitfulness in the knowledge of God ; but at 
the same time we trust we do not deceive ourselves when 
we express the hope that, forgetting the things that are 
behind, we are pressing forward towards the things that 
are before — ' towards the mark for the prize of our high 
calling of God in Christ Jesus.' With many of our dear 
friends we have had to part through their removal by 
death. The last moments of all were peaceful, and of 
some it may be said they were triumphant. Angels seemed 
to beckon them away, or waited to convey their happy 
spirits to the purchased possession." Mr. Phillippo then 
records the interesting fact that in the year and seven 

L 



14-6 Whiti unto Harvest, [1836 

months that had elapsed since his return from England 
he had celebrated between two and three hundred 
marriages ; distributed 1,500 copies of the Scriptures, sent 
as gifts by the Bible Society to the apprentices who 
could read ; circulated thousands of tracts, and kept the 
books of two libraries in constant use amongst the in- 
telligent members of the congregation. He closes his 
interesting letter with the following words:— "Thus 
blessed with abundant means, everything with us is cheer* 
ing in an unexampled degree. The fields all around us, 
as we have been led to anticipate is the case in almost 
every district of the island, are white unto harvest. That 
holy influence, without which we are deeply sensible all 
human effort^ for the final happiness of man must prove 
abortive, seems not only to follow, but to go before us, 
preparing the soil for the seed of the Kingdom ; so that 
whatever may be the difficulties and anxieties with which 
we go forth to our labour, we return again with rejoicing, 
bringing our sheaves with us." 

It was a spring-time of bright hopes, and full of promise 
for the future. No cloud had yet arisen in the horizon 
to threaten the glorious harvest time in view. 

N.B. — The following are the statistics of the Baptist churches and 
schools in Jamaica for the year ending March, 1837, under the care 
of sixteen missionaries and schoolmasters : — 

Number baptized during the year 2,950 

„ of Members ; i6,8ai 

„ of Inquirers 16,146 

Clear increase of Members 2,800 

Total number connected with the Mission 32,966 

Schools. 

Numberof day scholars.., 1,62a 

„ of evening scholars, adult «. 451 

„ of Sunday scholars 5,594 



CHAPTER XVIIL 

THE APPRENTICESHIP ABANDONED— 1836 to 1833. 

Such were the oppressions to which the apprentices con- 
tinued to be subject that, at the suggestion of Mr. 
Phillippo, and with his aid, a petition was sent to the 
House of Commons by those living in and around 
Spanish Town, setting forth their grievances, and praying 
earnestly for the abolition of the system. They found it 
to be more galling than slavery itself. It was goading 
them almost to madness. They were charged, often most 
unjustly, with neglect of duty, disobedience, and insolence, 
and for the slightest offence flogging in its worst forms 
was inflicted both on men and women. During the first 
year of the apprenticeship, upwards of 25,000 punish- 
ments were adjudged in various parts of the island, and 
in the first eight months of the second year 27,000 
more were recorded. ** During two short years," says Mr, 
Phillippo, *' 60,000 apprentices received in the aggregate 
one quarter of a million of lashes, and 50,000 other punish- 
ments by the tread-wheel, the chain-gang, and other 
modes of legalised torture. But for the influence exerted 
by the Governor, the missionaries, and some of the special 
magistrates, the exasperation produced by these enor- 
mities would, in all probability, have broken out into open 
and general rebellion.'' Rumours, indeed, were rife that 
the apprentices were preparing on the 1st of August to 
assert their freedom, especially in the parishes of St. 
James and Hanover, so that, on the 27th of July, the Mar- 

L2 



148 The Apprenticeship Abandoned. [1836 

quis of Sligo addressed a note to Mr. Phillippo requesting 
him to ascertain through his brother missionaries how far 
such rumours were true. The fears of the planters, 
justified indeed by their cruelties, were found to be the 
real source of their anxieties, the more so as some of them 
notified to their apprentices that they were not to make a 
holiday on the ist of August, which by law the appren- 
' tices had every right to do. From Messrs. Knibb, 
Burchell, Abbott, Thomson, and others, replies were 
received, expressing astonishment at the rumours referred 
to, which they declared to be utterly groundless. '* If 
there be anything of the sort," replies one of them, * it 
has not come to my knowledge, notwithstanding all my 
opportunities of knowing. But on Friday last I did hear 
from Mr. Knibb that somebody, having authority, had 
given intimation on his estates that yesterday, the ist of 
August, was not to be, and was not in law, a holiday. 
Mr. Knibb, however, declared the contrary to the people, 
and intended to see that nothing should hinder them from 
enjoying their right." The day passed in perfect peace. 
Neither military forces, nor a ship of war, as asked for, 
were sent, and Mr. Phillippo had the gratification of re- 
ceiving the thanks of the Governor for the information he 
had acquired. '*It was suspected,'* he adds, *'that the 
demand for a preventive force was really meant to intimi- 
date the apprentices into the acceptance of a mere 
nominal rate of wages, the result of a combination of 
planters, who, by their princely hospitality to the 
Governor's informant, had thus induced him to aid them 
in their object." 

The breach already existing between Lord Sligo and the 
planting interest now became irreparable. His liberality, 
his impartiality, his resolve that the provisions of the 
abolition law in favour of the apprentices should not be 
infringed, were unpardonable offences. His appeal to the 



1836] The Apprenticeship Abandoned ^ 149 

House of Assembly to reconsider some decision respecting 
the Act was treated as a breach of privilege. This, and 
the wavering support he received from the Colonial 
Office, at length caused him to resign his post, amidst 
expressions of the profoundest regret and gratitude from 
the people whom he had endeavoured, so ineffectually, 
to protect and serve. 

A meeting was held in Mr. Phillippo's chapel to invite 
the Marquis to reconsider his decision. It was violently 
and illegally interrupted by a magistrate, and the Riot 
Act read, though the assembly was in perfect order. 
The meeting, however, under Mr. Phillippo's guidance, 
maintained its right, and the memorial was adopted. A 
similar address, drawn up by Mr. Phillippo, was also pre- 
sented to Lord Sligo on the part of the Baptist mission* 
aries. On the 30th of August, Sir Lionel Smith arrived in 
Jamaica as his successor, and with instructions, if possible, 
to harmonise the clashing interests of the planters with 
the plans and purposes of the British Government As an 
old West Indian Governor, the planters formed high 
expectations of the favourable results to their interests 
which would flow from Sir Lionel Smith's presumed 
sympathy with their claims ; and some of his first actions 
seemed to justify their confidence. But as the true char- 
acter of the position came to be understood, and as the 
hopes that his coming had inspired were proved to be 
fallacious, the hatred and hostility endured by his pre- 
decessor soon fell upon him. 

In his first speech to the House of Assembly indications 
were not wanting that Sir Lionel Smith was a friend to 
humanity and progress. He had the boldness to com^ 
mend the missionaries to their esteem. " The first 
object," he said, " is to instil the doctrines of Christianity. 
... I firmly believe that the assistance of the missionaries 
is most necessary to this end. Gentlemen, you have 



150 ni Apprinticiship Abandontd, [1836 

hardlj four more years to watch over the experiment of 
apprenticeship. Give eveiy facility yon can to the 
missionaries* labours. Banish from your minds the 
idea that they are your enemies. I will answer with 
my head for their loyalty and fidelity. Encourage 
their peaceable settlement among your people. Let 
every four or five contiguous estates combine for the 
erection of chapel-schools ; and knowing, as you well 
do, the attachment of the Negro to the place of his 
birth and the burial-place of his parents, you may, I 
sincerely believe, by these means locate on your estates 
a contented peasantry.'' 

It was in vain. The House of Assembly was in no 
mood to listen to words of moderation and wisdom. 
" The system of apprenticeship,'* says Mr. Phillippo, 
" was unsatisfactory to all parties, and beneficial to none. 
It was the source of the most unparalleled difficulty, 
labour, and obloquy to the noble-minded individuals 
under whose eventful and successive administrations it was 
carried on. It therefore failed — and failed signally. It 
was obnoxious to the master, hateful to the slave, and 
perplexing to the magistracy. Slavery will admit of no 
modification." The strong representations which reached 
the friends of the Negro in England led, in the Parlia- 
mentary Session of 1836, on the motion of Mr. Buxton, 
to the appointment of a Committee of the House of 
Commons to inquire into the working of the system. 
The charges of cruelty were fully substantiated ; yet on the 
whole the Committee thought that the system worked not 
unfavourably. The conduct of the apprentices generally 
was declared to be good, they worked for wages« were, in 
most cases, fairly treated, and were more industrious than 
in slavery. But this admitted good conduct on the part 
of the labourers only rendered it the more intolerable 
that they should be so often unjustly and so cruelly dealt 



1837] The Apprmticeship Abandoned. 151 

with. It was no wonder that the Anti-slavery party should 
oppose the decision of the Committee to allow the system 
to continue till the close of 1 840, the period determined 
by law, or that they should resolve to put forth their 
utmost efforts to bring a system so productive of evil to a 
speedier end. 

The earlier cessation of the apprenticeship was due in 
a very large measure to the calm, exhaustive, and irrefut- 
able report of a deputation which visited the chief islands 
of the West Indies in the cold season of 1836-7. It 
consisted of Mr. Joseph Sturge, Mr. Thomas Harvey, 
William Lloyd, Esq., M.D., members of the Society of 
Friends, and of Mr. John Scoble ; but the report was the 
work of the first two gentlemen. They visited Antigua, 
Montserrat, Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbadoes, and Jamaica. 
It was on the 22nd of January; 1837, that they reached 
Jamaica. Six days afterwards they visited Spanish Town 
and made the acquaintance of Mr. Phillippo. Of a 
visit paid to the Metropolitan Girls' School, on the 7th of 
February, they thus speak : — ** There were ninety children 
present, many of whom were the coloured offspring of 
overseers. There were at one time in this school four or 
^y^ children of a late Governor, the Duke of Manchester ; 
and one of its present teachers is the daughter of the 
Duke's celebrated secretary, Bullock. Her freedom was 
purchased some years ago by the English patronesses 
of the school. The dreadful state of social disorganisa- 
tion in Jamaica is legibly written even on the surface of 
society. Its ' bad eminence ' is doubtless to be attri- 
buted, in part, to the corrupting influence of the long 
administration of the above- mentioned Governor* Many of 
the children are apprentices, of whom fourteen coloured 
girls are sent by their attorney from a single estate 
in the neighbourhood. They are intended to become 
teachers of estates' schools. The principal teacher, a 



152 The Apprenticeship Abandoned, \}^ll 

coloured young woman, was purchased and made free by 
an old Negro, her grandfather, who is still himself an 
apprentice." * The ** bad eminence " here alluded to is 
derived from a remark of Sir Lionel Smith to the deputa- 
tion, to the effect that he considered the Negroes of 
Jamaica far more degraded than those of Barbadoes, 
or the other islands of which he had been Governor. 
Even during the administration of his predecessor no 
progress had been made in preparing the people for 
freedom, for the time had been lost in '' squabbling *' 
with the planters. 

Oh the 19th the deputation attended the various Lord's- 
day services of Mr. Phillippo. The meeting-house was 
densely crowded, chiefly by apprentices, whose attention 
and decorum much pleased them. Of the deacons and 
leaders, some were free, but others were estate-hands and 
apprentices. With these men, whom they considered to 
be fully equal to English ' peasants in intelligence and 
information, they had, at Mr. Phillippo's request, con- 
siderable intercourse. One informed them that he was a 
constable. It was difficult, he said, to act according to 
his oath, as he was expected to do everything for his 
master, and nothing for the people. He had frequently 
to remonstrate with the overseer about the oppressions he 
practised. The regular allowances of clothing and food 
were capriciously withheld, and the overseer often took 
away their time whenever he wanted it. " On our asking 
whether the people would be willing to work after 1840, 
he said, ' Nothing was sweeter than for a man to labour 
for his own bread' — a sentiment to which all present 
responded." Many had been flogged or sent to the tread- 
mill who had never been punished during slavery. One 
poor woman present, the mother of eight children, in 

* « The West Indies in 1837," pp. 181, 183. 



1837] The Apprenticeship Abandoned, 153 

declining years and health, had been sent to the 
treadmill because she coald not keep her place in the 
field-gang. In slavery she had lived in comparative 
ease, but her house had been pulled dovm since the 
commencement of the apprenticeship. All complained 
of the difficulty of securing an impartial trial before the 
magistrates. 

On the 2oth of February the deputation record, " On 
several occasions we have seen the penal gang of men 
and women, in chains and collars, in the streets of Spanish 
Town, and to-day observed two pregnant women chained 
together in the gang.*' * On another day they met in the 
streets of the town seven women handcuffed, who had 
been apprehended as runaway apprentices. They were 
free women, and had been illegally taken from their houses 
and avocations without the shadow of a reason. For this 
outrage no compensation was given them.f The general 
conclusion to which these gentlemen came must be 
stated in their own words : — 

** Not a single slave-owner can complain of being 
defrauded in whole or in part of his share of compensa- 
tion. The sum of twenty millions sterling has been paid 
with accumulated interest, and free of all charges. The 
nation has fulfilled its part of the compact, and even 
exceeded its stipulations. The Negroes, though no parties 
to the agreement, have yet fulfilled all its onerous and 
unjust conditions. But, on the other hand, in eveiy 
essential particular it has been violated by the planters, 
with the connivance, and even the active participation, of 
the Executive Government. Each succeeding Colonial 



• " The West Indies in 1837," pp. 197, 199, 

flhid.j p. 277. These cases have been selected from the mass of 
similar cnielties with which the pages of the report are filled ; because, 
taking place in Spanish Town, they illustrate the accuracy of Mr.. 
PhilHppo's representations to his correspondents at home. 



154 ^' Appreniieeship Abandoned. ['^37 

Minister has trodden in the same steps, and the conceal- 
ment and defence of successive errors have led to the 
establishment, by authority, of the new system such as we 
have described it. At the present moment, the shelves of 
the Colonial Office groan under accumulated evidence of 
the wrongs and sufferings of the Negro." * 

In a letter to the Rev. John Dyer, soon after the depar- 
ture of the deputation, Mr. Phillippo thus refers to their 
visit: — "Of our English friends, Messrs. Sturge and Harvey 
I know most, as they did me the honour of abiding at my 
house during their residence in Spanish Town, and I can- 
not but say that I not only esteem them very highly for 
their work's sake, but also for their personal virtues, for 
their purity of motive, their singleness of eye to the 
Divine glory and the good of men, which shone out so 
conspicuously in all their plans and efforts for the accom- 
plishment of their object. In further accordance with 
your wish, I also afforded our friends every opportunity 
of informing themselves as to the state of my church, 
congregation, and schools. . Of the results of the mission 
of these benevolent men, as to its main object, I shall 
say but little. Nor need I, as I am persuaded that ere 
this reaches you the appalling disclosures will have been 
made. A man must have an iron heart not to sympathise 
with the poor apprentices in the sorrow they are enduring; 
and as my sensibilities, notwithstanding all my familiarity 
with oppression, are not yet paralysed, most earnestly do 
I hope that no time may be lost, nor effort spared, in 
securing the destruction of the last vestige of that 
accursed system by which, under the name of liberty, the 
people are enthralled and bowed down. 'Disguise thy 
form as thou wilt, still. Slavery, still thou art a bitter 
draught ! ' " 



« << 



The West Indies in 1837," p. 37a. 



iS$B] The Appnnficeshtp Abandoned, 155 

Immediately on his arrival in London, May 30th, r837» 
Mr. Sturge laid before an assemblage of the Society of 
Friends, of from 1,500 to 2,000 persons in number, 
gathered from all parts of the United Kingdom, the 
documents and facts with which he was burdened. After- 
two hours' discussion, the assembly came to • the unani- 
mous conclusion that they would exert all their influence 
to urge the people of England to demand the abolition of 
the apprenticeship system at the earliest possible moment. 
The fire quickly spread. The press raised its powerful 
voice, and within six months deputations of varying 
magnitude gathered in London from all parts of the 
country. Downing Street and Westminster Hall were 
besieged. Petitions were presented, signed by upwards 
of a million persons — ^a mighty host, marshalled and led 
on by the piety, talent, learning, eloquence, and philan- 
thropy of the best portion of the community — in which 
the abolition of the system was imperatively demanded, 
on the ground of the violation of the contract by the 
planters.* 

The motion of Lord Brougham in the House of Lords on 
the 20th of February, 1838, that the apprenticeship should 
cease on the ist of August, was supported by only seven 
peers ; f and in the Commons the same motion, made on 
the 29th of March, was lost, the Government opposing it, 
by a majority of fifty-four in a House of 484 members. But 
a bolder proposal was brought forward on the 22nd of May, 
viz., that the Negro should at once, and for ever, be free. 
It took the Government by surprise, and the motion was 
carried by a majority of three. Although a week later the 



* FhilHppo's "Jamaica: Past and Present," p. 174. 

f In the course of this debate, the Marqais of Sligo qnoted letters 
which he had received from Mr. PhiUippo on the treatment of the 
apprentices. 



156 The Appreniiceship Abandoned. ['838 

resolution was virtually rescinded, it was evident that the 
cause of the oppressor was lost.* 

The Legislature of Jamaica, after an adjournment, met 
on the 5 th of June. The Governor called their attention to 
the uncontrollable agitation existing in the mother country. 
It was evident that the Government of England itself was 
unable to ensure the continuance of the apprenticeship as 
an act of national obligation in the face of the national 
protest. The Negroes also were in a state of excitement, 
expecting that the ist of August would set them free ; so that 
the Administration was sending circulars to the mission- 
aries entreating them to use their influence to quiet the 
agitation. In some of the other islands the local Legis- 
latures had already decreed the abolition, and there were 
proprietors, like Lord Sligo,t in Jamaica itself, preparing 
to release the predials and non-predials on the same day ; 
while the amending Acts of the British Parliament 
threatened to override the free action of the House of 
Assembly. Thus pressed, the House, on the third day of 
their sitting, read for the first time a Bill to terminate the 
apprenticeship on the ist of August. After a brief 
adjournment it was read a second time, and on the next 



u 



* Mr. Kitson, writing Mr. Phillippo, thus refers to this incident : 
Our joy is turned into mourning, on account of the failure of all our 
efforts for the abolition of the apprenticeship next August. Our harps 
are on the wUlows ; but our hope and trust is still in God. Though 
our petitions and addresses are disregarded by our earthly Sovereign, 
our supplications will rise up to the King Eternal that He may arise 
and plead the cause of the oppressed ; and who can resist His power ! '* 
t Mr. Phillippo, writing to Lord Sligo on the 29th of May, reports 
that the Marquis's declaration in the House of Lords that he should 
set free all his apprentices on the ist of August had produced " an 
astonishing effect '* in Jamaica. It had been hailed by the people 
with enthusiasm, but with a mixture of '^ despondency and bravado " 
by the pro-slavery party. Their hopes of perpetuating the system 
were irrevocably gone. 



1838] The Apprenticeship Abandoned, 157 

day, a few amendments being made in committee, a third 
time, and was passed. It quickly ran its course through the 
Council, and on the i6th of June it received the Governor's 
assent* The grace of the concession was in some measure 
dimmed by the protest that accompanied the Act. The 
House declaimed vehemently against the interference of 
the British Parliament with the internal affairs of Jamaica. 
It was declared to be illegal and unconstitutional ; they 
^ would neither assume the responsibility, nor exonerate 
the public faith." Nevertheless, freedom was secured, and 
the three hundred thousand bondsmen of Jamaica were 
made absolutely free.* 

Mr. Phillippo was not without some expectation of this 
event. Writing Mr. George Stacey on the 14th of April, 
18389 he says: — "Lord Brougham's speech has created 
the most extraordinary sensation here. Let the Grovem- 
ment now be firm, and the planters will give up the 
system in August next, it is my firm opinion, without a 
straggle. All of tyrannical character are heartily tired of 
it, and I am persuaded would much rather freedom were 
miiversally proclaimed than agree to the provisions 
proposed by Lord Glenelg. I most earnestly hope that 
the friends of freedom will succeed in securing a universal 
jubilee in August next." 

Mr. Phillippo was present as a spectator at the opening 
sitting in which this important measure was proposed, 
and, in a letter to Mr. £. Sturge, has, in a very lively 
manner, described the scene : — "Our local Legislature met 
on Tuesday, the 5th inst., according to announcement. 
The Governor's speech was straightforward and to the 
porpose. Sir Lionel read his speech to both Houses dis- 
tinctly, and in a firm tone of voice — in a manner alto- 
gether indicative, as I thought, of a determination not to 

* Gardner*s ''Hastoiy of Jamaica," pp. 315, 317. 



158 The Apprenticeship Abandoned . [1838 

be trifled with any longer. He stated with mnch frank- 
ness his own conviction that, as the law stood, it was 
impossible that the apprenticeship could go on. When 
the tidings of Lord Glenelg's amendments of the Emanci- 
pation Act first reached us here, I understood it to be the 
determination of the members of the Assembly generally 
to abolish the apprenticeship themselves, and thereby 
prevent the infraction of their charter, as well as avoid 
the degradation of an abject submission to a power they 
could no longer resist. The Governor, however, by 
attending strictly to his orders from Downing Street, and 
issuing the proclamation within the given time after its 
reception, was supposed to have created a reaction, and it 
was, therefore, with considerable anxiety that I mingled 
with the crowd, and followed this august body from the 
Council Chamber to the arena where the general feeling 
would be disclosed. The rules of the House having been 
read, a member, from whom it was least to have been 
expected, to my great surprise moved that the speech 
should be made the order of the day for the morrow, in 
the hope that arrangements might be made for abandoning 
the system on the following Sunday ! His proposition, 
however, was overruled, and the committee for the con- 
sideration of the speech was appointed, as customary. 
The address in answer to the speech was soon prepared, 
and from the debate on it I was no longer in doubt as to 
the general determination. The only point, indeed, that 
seemed to arise regarded the time when the proclamation 
of liberty should be made. Would it not be well to ter- 
minate the unnatural system at the close of the present 
week, on the coronation day of their youthful Queen ? 
Or shall it be deferred until the ist of August? These 
questions were asked with deepest interest. The members 
in general manifested more moderation than was to have 
been expected. Only two individuals broke in upon 



1838] The Apprenticeship Abandoned. 159 

this feeling^. The ravings and waiiings in which these 
gentlemen indulged were disgraceful in the extreme, and 
as I looked towards the French Commissioner, .who wit- 
nessed the exhibition,* I could have wept for our national 
honour. One who had lately sold his estates at a good 
profit indulged in such invectives against Mr. Hill, the 
member for Trelawney, as to excite general indignation. 
The whole House was thrown into confusion and uproar. 
The monster Slavery was now in his final agonies, and it was 
natural that his pangs should be manifested in his most 
sensitive members. A few amendments were made, and 
the address was ultimately carried by a small majority. 
The member for St. Catherine immediately gave notice 
that he would, on the following day, introduce a Bill to 
abolish the apprenticeship system on the ist of August 
next, which was respoixded to by hearty cheers outside the 
bar. I did not hear the few words that immediately 
followed, but I soon ascertained that a decision had been 
come to that the Bill should emanate from a committee." 
The issue has been already told. ** When," continues 
Mr. Phillippo, " the result of the Bill could not be mis- 
taken, I held a meeting for thanksgiving to Almighty God 
for the joyous event. The hearts of the people seemed 
filled with gratitude to overflowing. On the ist of August I 
expect we shall have a joy unparalleled in the history of the 
world. What shall we render unto the Lord for all His 
benefits ? These, my dear friends, are the results, under 
God, of your benevolent visit to our shores." In a brief 
note to Mr. Kitson, Mr. Phillippo refers to the same event. 
'^ Since my last letter, the Bill for full and unconditional 



* This gentleman, M. Chevalier, who was commissioned by the 
French Govenunent to report on the condition of the apprentices in 
Jamaica and the question of emancipation, was at the time on a visit 
to Mr. Phillippo. 



l6o The Apprenticeship Abandoned. ['^5^ 

emancipation has passed the Legislature here without a 
dissentient voice, and, but for some little amendment by 
the Council, it would have been borne by the present 
mail, as on th& wings of the wind, to the Colonial Office. 
Every humane and feeling heart is filled with gratitude at 
the result, and the tongue of every bondsman will soon 
sing for joy. To God be all the glory. Amen and Amen.*' 

Although the die was cast, and slavery, whether real or 
disguised, was doomed in a few weeks to extinction, there 
were not wanting some individuals among the overseers 
and book-keepers and others on the estates who, for 
purposes of their own, seemed determined to annoy the 
(>eople by insulting behaviour, and by threats -of expulsion 
from their little holdings except on the most oppressive 
conditions as to rent and labour. Happily, this conduct 
was by no means general. Mr. Phillippo has given us, 
under date of July 7th, in a letter addressed to the Rev. 
John Dyer, an interesting account of the feelings with 
which the day of absolute freedom was awaited and pre* 
pared for. 

'* It cannot be dissembled, that many proprietors and 
managers, to their disgrace be it spoken, seem to manifest 
every disposition to annoy and impose upon the people 
under them by idle threats of expulsion from their 
properties, and by disgraceful proposals for their future 
services. As a consequence of the dissatisfaction occa- 
sioned by these circumstances, and others of a similar 
kind, occasioned by misrule, I have often within this last 
week or two been ready to sink beneath the fatigue of 
travelling from place to place, for the purpose of securing 
permanent and general good-will. 

" A day or two. ago I visited almost every estate and 
penn in the neighbourhood in which I understood the 
least excitement prevailed — ^assembled the people privately 
in their towns, and at their work, and, with all the earnest- 



1838] The Appnnticeship Abandoned, 16 c 

ness and argaments I could exercise and command, 
entreated them, even under the most tryins|; circumstances, 
to manifest the patience, forbearance, and respectful 
demeanour of true followers of Christ Nor, in any 
sing^le instance, were these efforts unavailing ; all with one 
voice declared their resolution to take off the crops 
without delay, to agree to whatever was equitable, and to 
cultivate future habits of industry and peace. But, while 
I have thus judged it advisable to apprise you of the real 
cause of any discontent that may possibly reach your ears, 
I would, at the same time, guard you against the appre- 
hension of anything extreme* The ist of August, I doubt 
not, will pass over with all the peacefulness and sanctity 
of a Sabbath ; and the majority of planters, I am persuaded, 
acting in accordance with the spirit and changes of the 
time, will secure the willing services of the people on the 
following Monday. This, however, I may say, I have 
obtained almost as a pledge from the whole apprentice 
population by whom I am surrounded, both in town and 
country, amounting probably to 10,000 individuals. Some 
of the proprietors and attorneys, and these among the 
most wealthy and respectable, have submitted for my 
remarks their calculations relative to a scale of wages, &c. ; 
at the same time declaring their determination, as 
ultimately most advantageous to themselves, to act 
towards their labourers upon the strictest principles of 
eqnity. Terms acceptable and beneficial to all parties 
once concluded upon one or two of the principal 
properties in this parish, under the management or in 
the possession of persons heretofore reputed liberal and 
humane, I have cheerfully offered my services to facilitate 
their universal adoption as far as my humble influence 
extends ; and I have no doubt, from the character of the 
persons with whom the proposals originate, and from the 
importance and influence of the parish, that such an 

M 



i62 The Apprenttcesktp Abandoned. [1838 

impetus will be given as will secure their speedy adoption 
more or less extensively by the mass. As the effect of the 
changes that are so rapidly progressing, and as illustrative 
of the ease with which men regulate their policy by their 
interests, I must not omit to inform you of the bright and 
glorious prospects which are now opening up to us for the 
prosecution of our glorious work. I am persuaded that 
there is now scarcely a proprietor or manager of any 
extent, in the whole district which I occupy, but who 
would be glad to afford me all the encouragement in his 
power in imparting religious instruction to his people. At 
the present moment I have invitations from not fewer 
than a dozen of the most influential individuals in town 
and country to establish schools and preaching in the 
vicinity of their estates, accompanied, in almost every 
case, by an offer of land and materials for the purpose 
of a religious establishment. The people in general 
are looking forward with intense interest to the ist of 
August. The very wilds are already fascinated with the 
productions of their own native muse, and as to the towns 
there is no moving for the poets which the occasion has 
created. I have no doubt but the event will prove the 
most interesting that ever transpired in the annals of the 
world. British Christians, come, or send over, and help 
us ! What is to be done must be done quickly, for the 
fields are ripe and the harvest is great.*' 



The following letter from the Marquis of Sligo is so 
honourable to that nobleman, and so illustrative of the in* 
fluence enjoyed by Mr. Phillippo, that it cannot be omitted 
from the history of the events recorded in this chapter. 

F&OM THE Marquis of Sligo to the Rev. J. M. Phuxippo. 

London, April 8th, 1838. 
Mt dear Sir, — ^The last packet will have brought to you an account 
of my resolution to emancipate my Negroes on the ist August next. 



1838] ne Apprenticeship Abandoned, 163 

I was considering the matter since last spring, and did not come to 
the determination without much doubt and difficulty. Even now, I 
am not without misgivings that I may have been wrong. It is oD 
account of this feeling, and to try and obviate such danger, that I now 
address you. My fears have been that the Negroes of the estates sur- 
xounding mine may be led to think that they are illegally kept in 
semtude when they see mine set free on the ist of August, and I 
have had considerable uneasiness in my mind as to my conduct pro- 
dndng any bad effects of that sort. I know well your influence with 
your flock, and I have conscientiously done you justice as well in my 
^rritings as in my speeches ; I do hope you will repay me in the only 
way I ask for any repayment, by exerting that influence to prevent any 
injury arising from my emancipating my Negroes. I am anxious that 
my own Negroes should continue to conduct themselves properly after 
being emancipated ; that the Negroes of those estates around mine 
should not show any signs of discontent, but should continue in their 
labour quietly and properly. They must feel that I have made a great 
sacrifice to promote their freedom two years sooner than it would 
naturally come to them. I don't wish any repayment for that, except 
that I should have influence enough over them and their comrades to 
prevent their committing any either actrve or passive breaches of the 
law. I am anxious to point out to them that much of their future 
prospects as regards legislation in the Colonies, and the approbation 
here of those laws, depends upon the manner in which they shall com- 
port themselves on this trying occasion. There are many other 
points, which will suggest themselves to you much more advantageously 
than I can name them, which I am most desirous should be impressed 
on them by their pastors. I am quite confident that Mr. Taylor, or 
whoever is in charge of the Old Harbour district, might effect a great 
deal by impressing these sentiments on them continually till the ist of 
August, by pointing out to mine that, having been selected for the ex- 
periment, it behoves them to show that they are fit for it, and to the 
SQiTounding ones that much of the future position of the Negroes 
depends on their tranquil and willing obedience to the laws. It is 
nnoecessary for me to say more. I am sure that we have but one feel- 
ing, and that is mutual, a desire to do the greatest possible quantity 
of good. From the prominent part which I have taken in this case, I 
am perhaps morbidly sensitive on the result of my conduct, and I 
may, therefore, bore you by all this ; but I should not be tranquil did I 
omit doing anything to contribute to produce the effect I desire, and 
most uneasy shall I be till I hear the result of the ist of August. I 
hope that 3rou will find time to write to me before then^ as to what 
your opinions are of the way it will be received, and your general 

M 2 



i64 The Apprenticeship Abandoned. [i^S^- 

views of their conduct on the occasion, and also to write me a few lines 
alter August how the day has gone off, and yxyax opinion as to their 
future conduct. — My dear Sir, most truly yours, 

Suoo. 

Bemal of Cheny Garden was the man, as I hear, who proposed at 
the West India meeting that they should all follow my example. I 
am told that they almost kicked him out of the room. He deserves 
great merit for the attempt, and it ought to be known. 

The unexpected action of the House of Assembly 
happily rendered unnecessary the precautions here sug- 
gested. Unconditional freedom was decreed for appren- 
tices of every class. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

CELEBRATION OF FREEDOM— 1838. 

Thb I St of August) 1838, dawned amidst scenes of intense 
excitement. Thousands of people bad gathered in the 
chapel and on the mission premises on the previous 
evening, and many more kept pouring in from all quarters 
throughout the night. Appropriate and deeply interest- 
ing services of mingled prayer and praise, interspersed with 
addresses, were held until dawn; and when the sound 
of the clock striking six was heard, one universal shout 
burst forth from the lips of the multitude within the build- 
ing, echoed by the greater multitude without, " Freedom's 
come ! Our wives and our children are free 1 Glory to de 
God for dis blessed dayl" Hymns prepared for the 
occasion were sung in strains that showed unmistakably 
the melody of the heart, and none with fuller emotion 
than the opening hymn, beginning with the verse : — 

Joy ! for every yoke is broken, 

And the oppressed all go free : 
Let us hail it as the token 
That our much-loved land may be 
Blessed of the Lord Most High, 
Ruler of the earth and sky. 

Another service, with a sermon, commenced at ten 
o'clock ; and at eleven, according to an arrangement made 
with his Excellency the Governor, a procession, with 
numerous banners having appropriate mottoes, and with 
bands of music, Mr. Phillippo at its head, marched to the 



1 6 6 Celebration of Freedom. [1838 

Parade, in front of the King's House. The entire popu- 
lation of the town were present, and, with the multitudes 
from the country, were addressed by Sir Lionel Smith, 
surrounded by the Bishop, the Chief Justice, and his per- 
sonal staff, in a speech full of feeling and paternal advice. 
The deep impression it made was quite remarkably seen in 
the attention, the respect, and the gratitude with which it 
was received. It is due to Mr. Phillippo to quote the re* 
marks of an observer describing this affecting scene. " The 
writer is free to confess that he can hardly refrain from 
polluting with feelings of envy the admiration with 
which he beheld a man who had brought forward an 
immense portion of the population, who were ready to 
acknowledge themselves indebted under God to him for 
having been rescued from barbarism and sin, and re- 
ceived at his hands the blessings of religion, morality, and 
education." During the delivery of the speech, his 
Excellency was greeted by reiterated and enthusiastic 
cheers as their friend and benefactor, and, with three 
closing cheers for the Queen, the mass attended their pastor 
to the mission-house, saluting him in the most enthusiastic 
manner. The close of the day's proceedings must be given 
in the words of an eye-witness. 

^' Arrived in the immediate neighbourhood of the chapel, 
the multitude surrounded him, grasped him in their arms, 
and bore him, in the midst of shouts and caresses, into his 
house. The enthusiasm of the multitude being now 
wound up to the highest pitch, they declared themselves 
unwilling to separate without greeting the different flags ; 
and flags and banners were accordingly unfurled, and for 
nearly an hour the air rang with the shouts of exultation 
that were thus poured forth from thousands of joyous 
hearts. 

"The school children had remained behind to sing 
several airs before the Government House, and just as the 



1838] Celebration of Freedom . 167 

mass were cheering the last banner, upon which was in- 
scribed in large capitals, * We are free, we are free ; oar 
wives and our children are free I * they all entered, and, 
adding their shrill voices to the rest, created an acclaim 
that seemed to rend the air. 

" The whole scene which the mission premises presented 
on that daj was delightful, and will never be forgotten. 
Over the two principal entrances to the chapel were three 
triumphal arches, decorated with leaves and flowers, and 
crowned with flags, bearing the several inscriptions of — 
* Freedom's come ;' * Slavery is no more ; ' * Thy chains 
are broken, Africa is free I ' while in addition to these, 
and the flags and banners borne by the procession, one 
was seen waving from the cupola of the Metropolitan 
School, with the motto, *The 1st August, 1838/ " 

On the following Thursday and Friday a bazaar was 
held for the benefit of the schools ; and an examination 
of the children on the Saturday, attended by the Governor 
and his suite, closed the proceedings of this memorable 
week — a week unequalled in the annals of the country, 
and unstained, as far as was known, by a single act of in- 
temperance or violence. 

During the ensuing weeks the event was celebrated by 
the members of the church and congregation in a very' 
becoming manner, on several of the different penns and 
estates around. At Dawkin's Caymanas the late appren- 
tices gave a banquet to the Governor and several special 
magistrates. In all cases the ever-memorable day was 
celebrated with the utmost good feeling towards their late 
owners on the part of the people. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Phillippo these gatherings were of intense interest. 
Nothing could exceed the reception they met with. Over- 
powering congratulations everywhere attended their steps, 
and from Cumberland Penn they were accompanied home 
by an escort of the newly enfranchised peasantry on horse- 



i68 C€ld>ratton of Freedom. [1838 

back. '* The whole scene/' sajs a writer in the Jamaica 
Gauite^ ** was deeply interesting, and the order and pro- 
priety observed would have done credit to Christians 
of the most civilised countiy in the world. The conduct 
of the people in this district generally, in other respects 
also, is such as to entitle them to the highest commenda- 
tion. Well knowing the inconvenience to which their 
masters' customers would be otherwise reduced from a 
want of food for their horses and cattle, they voluntarily 
went out to work on the second day, and in some instances 
on the following, and supplied the usual demand of the 
market, presenting their labour thus voluntarily given as a 
free-will offering to their employers." 

'* God," says Mr. Phillippo, '* was universally recognised 
as the Giver of the bounties enjoyed, and from first to last 
He was regarded as the Great Author of their deliverance 
from bondage."* 



* Fuller details of these celebrations may be seen in Phillippo's 
"Jamaica: Past and Present," p. 175; and also in the ^'Missionaiy 
Herald" under date. Engravings of the scenes before the King's 
House, and of some others, were also published at the time. 



CHAPTER XX. 

PROGRESS UNDER DIFFICULTIES -1838 to 1841. 

Thb three years following entire emancipation were to 
Mr. Phillippo years of intense* arduous, and exciting 
labour. Scarcely had the people quieted down after the 
stirring events of August, 1838, than we find him record- 
ing that the enfranchised peasantry were working admir- 
ably, and in the most generous manner devoting their 
earnings to the erection of schools and chapels, and the 
extension of the means of grace. - From the commerce 
carried on between the towns and country, and from the 
appearance and manners of the people, it was evident that 
the enjoyment of freedom was acting as a stimulus to 
industry and enterprise. The people were cheerful and 
happy. They seemed to exist in a new world, and to 
breathe a new atmosphere. The happy effects of the 
change surpassed the hopes of their friends, while many 
opponents to freedom became converts to its advantages. 
Hence the missionaries were welcomed on many estates 
formerly closed to them, and the opportunities for ex- 
tended operations opened on every hand so rapidly and 
widely that Mr. Phillippo expresses the opinion, towards 
the close f the year, that *' if the Society could but aid us 
in our struggle for two years longer, with men and with in* 
creased means of a pecuniary kind, they might then leave 
OS to ourselves. There is scarcely an estate or property of 
any kind, for miles around, upon which I have not been 
invited to establish schools and erect a place of worship. 
If I have had one acre of land offered me for this purpose 



170 Progress under Difficulties, ['839 

I have had a hundred, and in almost every case accom- 
panied with the offer also of building materials, and a 
part of the labour requisite in the erection/' 

In his endeavours to meet this state of things, Mr. 
Phillippo involved himself in large pecuniary liabilities, so 
that we find him constantly appealing to friends in England 
for aid, especially for the maintenance of the numerous 
schools he was encouraged to commence. The congrega- 
tions formed before freedom was complete had to pay off 
the debts incurred on the buildings in Spanish Town, 
Passage Fort, and Sligoville, so that little help could be 
rendered for the present need. "Men of Israel," he 
exclaims, " help ! It must be painful indeed to a mis- 
sionary to labour among a people who manifest no dispo- 
sition to listen to his message ; but I often persuade my- 
self that it is still more so where he is unable to satisfy 
the insatiable appetite of hundreds hungering and thirsting 
for the bread and water of eternal life. What is to be 
done, I really cannot tell. Wants requiring pecuniary 
means arise on every hand. In addition to the need of 
new chapels, all those already erected require enlarge- 
ment. Spanish Town and Passage Fort scarcely hold 
half the congregations." 

The assistance rendered by the Committee of the 
Society, though again and again acknowledged by Mr. 
Phillippo to be generous, was far from meeting his neces- 
sities. The same cry came from all parts of the island, 
and the resources of the Society were taxed to the utmost 
to supply only a small part of the demands that came 
before them. There can be little doubt that the extra- 
ordinary liberality of the Negro congregations * in some 

* In a letter to Mr. Dyer on the 28th of December, 1840, Mr. 
Phillippo warns his correspondent that this extraordinary liberality was 
owing to the exceptional circumstances of the case, and could not be 
expected to continue. 



1 84.0] Progress under Difficulties, 1 7 1 

measure disguised from the churches at home the need of 
immediate and unstinted action ; but it may be questioned 
whether, if these requirements had been met, the difficul- 
ties which afterwards arose would not have been inten- 
sified. Burdened on every side, Mr. Phillippo never- 
theless pressed onwards, and new congregations, new 
chapels, new school-houses, sprang up with extraordinary 
rapidity. A brief extract from a letter to the Rev. John 
Dyer, dated February 25th, 1840, will give some idea of the 
pressure upon his energies, both of mind and body. After 
stating that he had been compelled to draw on the 
Treasurer, he says, " The facts of my condition are briefly 
these. I have had upwards q{ £\oo to pay this year for 
doctors' bills. Nearly /^5oo for the last addition to the 
chapel oat of /^ 1,000, the total cost. /^5oo towards 
liquidating the debts on the chapels at Passage Fort and 
Sligoville. Full £^00 for the salaries of schoolmasters ; 
£\^o for land at St. John's (on which the people of the 
district have offered to build a chapel, principally by their 
own laboor), and I am full £loo in debt. I have indulged 
the hope that, after all, I might be able to obviate the 
necessity of an application to the Committee, by an appeal 
to the inhabitants of the town in general ; but, the calamity 
at Savaui»-ht-Mar happening just at the time * I was con- 
templating it, I was, of course, induced to forego my own 
appeal in favour of brother Hutchins and his people, 
on whose behalf I obtained /*2 50. For the payment of 
the £100 I am now pressed to such a degree that I am 
driven to draw ^100 upon the Committee by next packet, 
to which, under the circumstances, I feel confident they 
will not object." 

* On the night of the 23rd of November, 1839, a fire broke out in a 
store, and soon reached the new and beautiful chapel built by Mr. 
Hutchins, at a cost of ;f 4,000 currency, and completely destroyed it. 
— " Voice of Jubilee," p. 1 14. 



tji Progress under Difficulties » [1840 

A little later, May 1 3th, he writes : •' I am greatly 
harassed for means to carry on my various schools. My 
people are now about making an effort to refund my ad- 
vances, but I am almost afraid to press them. Our new 
chapel at the Red Hills is already begun, and next week 
I contemplate preparations for the enlargement of that at 
Sligoville, which is to be twice its present dimensions. 
Thus I have more labour and anxiety in prospect than 
ever. With these incessant building engagements, with 
their attendant anxieties, added to the cares and labours 
of more direct ministerial duty, I must again inform you 
that I am almost worn down. To go on much longer as 
I am now doing will be impossible." 

With all this he was unable to resist the appeals that 
were made to him. He reports, among others, frequent 
deputations from the parish of Manchester, begging, with 
tears in their eyes, for a minister to be settled among 
them, and promising to provide all the expenses of the 
station if the Committee will send them one. ** This," 
says Mr. Phillippo, " is probably saying more than can bo 
done ; but I have no doubt they would support a minister 
comfortably after twelve months, if not before, their ener- 
gies being directed during that term to the erection of a 
dwelling-house and the completion of their chapel.'* 

The appeal made to the Committee met with a very 
cordial reception ; but their arrangements did not meet 
his case. Writing to the Secretary on the ist of October, 
he says : "The resolution of the Committee with regard to 
the terms on which they will consent to supply us with 
additional labourers are ruly generous. But I deeply 
regret to say that it is out of my power to avail m3rself of 
their advantages. First, because in a week or two's time, 
although the debt incurred by the erection of the building 
is scarcely liquidated, I must begin an addition to the 
chapel at Passage Fort that will involve an expense of 



18403 Progress under Difficulties, 173 

jfsoo. Secondly, because I have already begun the 
erection of a large place of worship at the Red Hills, or 
Kitson Town, that will probably involve a still larger 
sum; and thirdly, because I am now in the midst of 
pecuniary claims to a large amount for an addition to the 
chapel at Sligoville^far larger than I shall be able to 
collect from my people. Add to this the heavy and 
pressing demands of my schools, eight in number, and 
which cost little less than /*i4> a week, to say nothing 
of incidental expenses and the support of my family. For 
the latter items I am dependent on the Spanish Town por- 
tion of my church, and the uncertain assistance afforded by 
benevolent friends in England. These have always been 
inadequate to my wants, as well as uncertain, and occasion 
me no small degree of anxiety and pain. These things I 
have never felt more keenly than at present, as it has been 
my resolution, if possible, to accomplish my building 
plans independently of foreign aid. It will require my 
most strenuous efforts to extricate myself for two years to 
come at least But help I must have, or I must either 
sink beneath my labours and responsibilities, or subject 
the Society and myself to the reproach of doing the 
work of the Lord imperfectly. To my load of cares and 
responsibilities, already far too numerous, I have just added 
the purchase of a property called Kensington, consisting 
of 350 acres of land, for the purpose of forming another 
township and missionary station. In a few weeks I 
expect the whole will be sold to the poor peasantry 
of the district, and the money be in possession of the 
salesman." 

The Committee so far relaxed the terms of their proposal 
that, in January, 1841, Mr. Phillippo was joined by Mr. and 
Mrs. William Hume, to act with him as assistant- minister 
and schoolmaster; and in the following April Mr. John 
Williams arrived from England to relieve Mr. Phillippo of 



174 Progress undtf Difficulties* [1841 

tne charge of the work in Manchester, where, in the 
interval, at Poms, he had gathered a congregation. 

The pecuniary difficulties of the Society towards the 
close of the year led the Committee, in order to economise 
their agencies, to contemplate the removal of Mr. Hume 
to Westmoreland. It did not take place till the beginning 
of 1 842, when the Rev. Thomas Dowson came to his aid. 
The proposal, however, called forth an earnest and eloquent 
remonstrance from Mr. Phillippo, and led to the following 
description of his necessities and the extent of his 
labours : — " I have been alone in this district for the last 
seventeen years and upwards. I have eight stations, some 
of them full twenty miles distant from the central one, 
each of which requires the services of a regular minister at 
least once a month on the Sabbath, as well as occasional 
meetings on a week-day. Eight schools are under my 
superintendence^ and are solely dependent on me for sup- 
port. I have three new chapels in building, and one 
being enlar^^d* the cost of which, full /^3,ooo sterling, I, 
in some way or other, must meet. I have services to 
maintain three times on the Sabbath invariably in Spanish 
Town, and a church -meeting and Sabbath -schools to 
attend, besides two week-day services, all of which probably 
involve as much mental labour as in a respectable town 
in England ; with marriages and funerals, visits to the sick, 
and a thousand other pastoral duties to disdarge arisiiig m 
churches of between two and three thousand members in 
town and country. The Spanish Town station, except 
during the enlargement of the chapel, has supported me for 
years. To the utmost of my ability, and even beyond it, 
I can most conscientiously declare I have endeavoured to 
avoid being burdensome to the Society. The number of 
stations that I have been instromental in forming and 
carrying on for a time have not been fewer than seventeen. 
Some of these stations, such as Jericho, Springfield, Old 



1841! Progress under Difficulties. 175 

HarbooTi Vere, and others, have become the parents and 
centres of surrounding ones, and are now among the 
most important of any in the island. I think the sums 
had for these stations were peculiarly small, while for those 
still under my care I have been in the habit of receiving 
from the Society only the proportion of £10 per annum 
for each. The whole of the stations under my charge do 
not raise for one benevolent object and another less than 
£z^ooo sterling per annum — I mean objects connected 
especially with our own denomination, such as chapel- 
building, support of schools, the African Mission, and 
others of a local kind." 

It is not possible to conceive of these exhaustive 
labours as other than most trying to the constitution and 
spirits of the healthiest and strongest man working in 
the tropical climate of the West Indies, and it will be no 
surprise that Mr. Pnillippo should utter, towards the close 
of 1841, the following touching words respecting it : — *' My 
health, and spirits too, have given way beneath the 
pressure of these engagements and anxieties, sustained 
for so many years. I am indeed now laid almost totally 
aside by the failure of my voice, occasioned by its almost 
incessant and too violent exercise for years past in and 
out of doors. My medical adviser positively tells me 
that, unless I cease altogether from public speaking for 
two or three months, I shall lose its use in public. My 
dear wife also, having shared my anxieties and labours, 
and borne a large family of nine children, five of whom 
have been torn from her by death, and often sicknesses 
which many times have brought her to the very gates of 
the grave, is now in such extremely delicate health and 
bad spirits as to be obliged to reside almost entirely at 
Sligoville^ where I must leave her, as it were, in solitude 
the greater part of each week. Thus, from the moment 
of my arrival in the island until now, I have scarcely 



176 Prognss under DifficuUies. ['838 

* 

known a respite from distracting care and exhausting 
toil." 

But his exertions were not without an ample reward in the 
Divine blessing that accompanied them. Each year bore 
witness to his success, in large additions to the fellowship 
of the churches, and in the growing intelligence and piety of 
the members. A few extracts from his letters and reports 
will suffice to show the gracious approval of his Lord on 
his manifold labours. Writing on the 28th of February, 1 858, 
he says : " God has been pleased to bless the church in 
Spanish Town with prosperity as to members ; nor has He 
left us without such tokens of His grace as have visibly 
promoted the growing influence of vital piety over the 
minds and habits of the church in general. The nature 
and extent of the Divine requirements with regard to the 
Sabbath are more generally understood, and the duty of 
regular and punctual attendance upon the public worship 
of God is more regarded. Brotherly love continuesi and 
peace and harmony prevail amongst us. Owing to the 
regular preaching of the Word at Passage Fort and Sligo* 
ville, and the late dismission to the latter station of 218 
members, the congregation here is somewhat diminished ; 
but our place of worship is still as full as it will con- 
veniently accommodate, and is often so crowded as to 
render a separate service in the school-room necessaiy. 
God has not only been with us, but in His holy influences 
He has gone before us, preparing the hearts of the people 
to receive the seed of the Kingdom." During the year 
he had baptized nearly three hundred persons, and the 
number of members in communion at the three stations 
was 2,191. The nineteen schools he supported con- 
tained 1,588 scholars. 

Writing again on the i6th of April, 1839, nine months 
after the enjoyment of complete freedom, after reporting 
that the churches had suflered some losses by defection. 



1839] Progress under Difficulties. 177 

he proceeds to remark that, amidst the excitement attend- 
ing the celebration of freedom, it would have been no 
wonder if many had been betrayed into intemperance and 
other excesses at variance with their profession, and the 
habitual self-denial required of the disciples of Christ. 
But, "in no case," he says, "have these fears been 
realised. The conduct of our friends and brethren was 
such as became the followers of our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ, uniformly modest, sober, and devout, their 
enemies themselves being judges. In every instance, when 
treated with the consideration due to human beings« and 
in the prospect of fair remuneration, have they been 
diligent in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. 
From general imperfection, and from individual acts of 
sin on our part, as a Christian society, we by no means 
consider ourselves exempt. But as the pastor of the 
church, in some degree, I trust, aware of my awful responsi- 
bility to God, I most solemnly declare, in opposition to 
all that may have been insinuated to the contrary, that 
wholesome discipline and the most vigilant oversight 
have been anxiously and unremittingly maintained. The 
habitual exercise of wholesome discipline I have regarded 
as in every way advantageous to the prosperity of the 
church, and this I have ever found it. By its exercise, a 
greater dread of sin has been inspired, the weak have been 
strengthened, the backslider reclaimed, and the purity of 
the church and the glory of God preserved. 

"The increase of our stated congregations since the 
great boon of freedom has been enjoyed has been so 
great that a third enlargement of our chapel at Spanish 
Town has become necessary, and also of those of Passage 
Fort and Sligoville. Such, indeed, is the desire on the 
part of the poorer classes of the people generally for the 
Gospel, and of the late apprentices in particular, that if 
each of the chapels I have already built were twice its 

N 



178 Progress under Difficulties. ['841 

present dimensions, and half-a-dozen more could be 
erected, I have not the least doubt of all being filled." 

The net increase of his churches during the year had 
been 326 members, while no less than 2,598 children and 
adults were under constant instruction. 

A similar bright picture may be given of the Christian 
work of the year 1 840 ; but with some brief excerpts from 
the report of 184 1 this chapter shall be closed. They are 
taken from a letter dated ist of February, addressed to 
the ministers and messengers of the associated Baptist 
churches about to assemble at Falmouth. Mr. Phillippo 
writes : — *' The chapel at Spanish Town, which has been a 
third time enlarged, is too small for the numbers that 
usually flock to it on the Sabbath. On the first Sabbath 
of the month, on which day the Lord's Supper is ad- 
ministered, although a separate service for the children is 
held in the school-room, the members present so far exceed 
what the chapel will accommodate that from one to two 
hundred communicants are sometimes obliged to sit 
outside. Our Sabbath morning prayer-meetings are still 
maintained, having been carried on without intermission 
during a period of seventeen years. We have also a 
similar service on the Monday evening. The contem- 
plated establishment of a mission to Africa by our Society, 
the interest felt in the enterprise by British Christians, 
and the actual devotion of our beloved brethren Clarke 
and Prince to the object, have especially contributed to 
the spiritual warmth and vigour which we trust we now 
enjoy with reference to the extension of the Redeemer's 
Kingdom. There is generally manifested amongst as a 
growing acquaintance with the truth as it is in Jesus, and 
an increased relish for spiritual enjoyments. Peace and 
harmony remain unbroken. Love to God, to one another, 
and to the whole household of faith, it is hoped, continues 
to increase. The sacred Scriptures, by being more widely 



1841] Progress under Difficulties 179 

diffused, are more generally read, and consequently better 
understood, whilst personal and relative duties have been 
more correctly discharged. 

" Removals by death have been comparatively few, and 
with respect to every one of them evidences were afforded 
of their having entered into rest. Holy and exemplary in 
their lives, they exhibited in their last moments a 
tranquillity which death could not ruffle, and a confidence 
that the King of Terrors could not shake. 

" Many have betrayed Sjmiptoms of a backsliding state 
which have demanded the exercise of discipline. Yet few 
have remained hardened in impenitence, and a consider- 
able number have been welcomed back again to a 
participation of the privileges of Christian communion. 

" At the close of the year the membership numbered 
2>55i persons, and at all the stations, both principal and 
subordinate, the attendance on the means of grace was 
increasing. 

"Thus," concludes the letter, ** amidst many discourage- 
ments, it is evident that the blessing of the Lord our God 
has been upon us, prospering the work of our hands. 
With this conviction, let us animate each other to 
increased energy and perseverance, forgetting the things 
that are behind, and pressing on towards things that are 
before, looking for and trusting unto the day of God.*' 
Thus, '* in weariness, in painfulness, and in watchings 
often,'* Mr. Phillippo pursued his arduous work, sustained 
by the assurance that the Lord was with him, giving effect 
to His Word, and crowning his efforts with success. 



N I 



CHAPTER XXL 

ORIGIN AND FORMATION OF TOWN SfflPS— 1838 TO 1841. 

The system of apprenticeship was scarcely carried into 
effect in 1834 than disputes arose between the planters 
and their apprentices as to the wages which should be 
paid for their toil ; and when full freedom came in 183S 
little or no progress had been made in settling this im- 
portant question. To this day it can scarcely be said to 
have reached a final and equitable decision. There were, 
however, not a few proprietors of estates who at once 
endeavoured to meet the case in a fair spirit, and who 
requested the missionaries to exercise the influence they 
possessed with the labourers to bring about an amicable 
settlement. Mr. Phillippo especially mentions, among 
other large proprietors and attorneys who took this 
course, the Hon. A. Bravo and the Hon. T. J. 
Bernard. As a representative of the people, he was 
present, by desire, at a meeting of the agents of th6se 
gentlemen with their apprentices to consider the propo- 
sals of the estate-owners. After long discussions, these 
proposals, with some modifications as recommended by 
Mr. Phillippo, were adopted to the satisfaction of all 
parties. But these mutually beneficial conferences were 
the exception, and not the rule. Other meetings, not so 
gratifying in their result, took place, of one of which Mr. 
Phillippo has preserved the following lively account. It 
was held in St. Thomas-in-the-Vale, and was marked bj 
the presence of the Governor. His Excellency, finding 



1838] Origin and Formation of Townships* 181 

there woald be no one there to represent Che people, in- 
vited the services of Mr. Phillippo for the occasion. " A 
very large assemblage of both parties/' says Mr. Phillippo, 
" were at the tavern where the conference was to be held. 
I arrived before his Excellency, and found myself in a 
large room filled with planters and others of the raling 
class, including the rector and curate of the parish. I 
was treated with superciliousness and contempt. The 
Governor had no sooner entered than he was surrounded 
by the planter-complainants, who occupied him for 
upwards of two hours in efforts to prejudice him against 
the labourers. The people, who had crowded round the 
entrance to the house, expressed their dissatisfaction to 
me. Their complaints, they said, were disregarded, and 
they handed to me, over the heads of the crowd, in the 
cleft of long sticks, receipts for the rent of houses and 
grounds, some of which amounted to more than the 
wages given them, rent being charged for almost, if not 
quite, every member of the family. These I investigated, 
amid the rude insults and threatenings of one or two 
roughs of overseers, who were watching my movements. 
I then forced my way to his Excellency, and told him that 
the labourers outside were afraid that they would not be 
allowed to make their complaints or defence. He at 
once followed me into the yard, and seated himself under 
the shade of a tree. The people gathered round, and put 
into bis hands their papers. Both by word and gesture 
his Excellency expressed his indignation against the per- 
petrators of the injustice and oppression, and then, 
ordering his carriage, hastily withdrew and returned home. 
The planters started for Rodney Hall, where they re- 
assembled, and passed resolutions condemnatory of the 
Governor, and especially that he had insulted the rector, 
and through him the church and the whole parish, in 
treating a sectarian minister as his chaplain and counsellor. 



J 82 Origin and Formation of Townships. [1838 

They further embodied their complaints in a document 
which they forwardrsd to the Colonial Office."* 

On many estates the people were cajoled by promises 
never intended to be performed. Relieved by the 
Emancipation Act of 1838 from the stringent clauses of 
the Act of 1834, the planters were entirely at liberty to 
pursue any course they saw fit, and the most despicable 
arts were frequently resorted to to obtain labour for almost 
nothing. If the miserable remuneration was refused, the 
cottages of the recalcitrant labourers were pulled down, 
the estates' cattle driven into their provision grounds, and 
the growing crops destroyed. Homeless and houseless, 
great numbers, whether in health or sickness, old or 
young, were driven to the bush for shelter. A standard 
of a day's labour and its value had gradually been formed 
during slavery, and it was naturally expected by the 
apprentices that their remuneration would be laid 
accordingly. Some efforts were put forth by the Govern- 
ment, in connection with committees of planters, to 
establish a tariff of work and wages, on the principle that 
a free man would be sure to labour more heartily, and 
give a better return to his master, than a slave. But these 
tariffs generally failed of adoption, the planters preferring 
perfect freedom of contract, which would allow them to 
exercise any pressure within their reach on the necessi- 
tous labourer. They were altogether unwilling to pay 
such wages as the new circumstances of the Negro 



* Mr. J. J. Gumey thus speaks of the usefiilness of the Baptist 
missionaries : — ** The Baptist missionaries in Jamaica, for many years 
pasti have heen the unflinching and untiring friends of the Negro. No 
threats have daunted them ; no insults or persecutions have driven 
them from the field. They are now [1840] reaping their reward in the 
devoted attachment of the people, and the increasingly prevalent 
acknowledgment of their integrity and usefulness.'* — *' Winter in the 
West Indies," p. 120 



1838] Origin and Forma Hon of Townships. 183 

required. For with enfranchisement came a demand for 
better dwellings than the miserable huts of the estate in 
which thej had hitherto been housed. Greater comforts 
and conveniences were sought after, and the social, moral, 
and intellectual elevation of the enfranchised people 
required larger provision to be made for its attainment. 

Foreseeing these difficulties, Mr. Phillippo, shortly after 
1834, with several of his missionary brethren, assisted by 
some wealthy gentlemen in England, began to purchase 
land for the settlement of the labouring classes. The 
lawlessness and tyranny to which they had been subject 
taught them that they could not be sure of a home unless 
they possessed freeholds of their own. The opportunity 
of relief from this oppression was eagerly seized on 
the arrival of emancipation, and the allotments made 
on the properties thus purchased were immediately 
bought. Estate-hamlets were abandoned, and free vil- 
lages and townships sprang up in all parts of the island. 
The acquisition of land was rendered more easy by the 
large number of properties that came into the market. 
This arose partly from the impracticability of working 
with profit many of the estates in the interior now 
that unpaid and forced labour could not be secured ; and 
partly from proprietors who had received compensation 
for their slaves, which, as Lord Palmerston said, in 
many instances was an amount equal to the value of 
the fee simple of the land itself, abandoning the culti- 
vation of sugar, and the island altogether. 

Mr. Phillippo was among the first to make provision 
for the large emigration from the estates that took place. 
Early in 1835 he purchased twenty- five acres of land, 
which were afterwards increased to fifty, in the mountains 
above Spanish Town, in the first instance to form a mis- 
sion station. It now became the nucleus of a settlement. 
The position was unrivalled for beauty and salubrity, and 



184. Origin and Formation of Townships, [1840 

stood in the midst of a district entirely destitute of reli- 
gious privileges. The settlement was named Sligoville, 
in honour of the Mafquis of Sligo, whose country residence 
was near at hand, and who, with his family, took great 
interest in its formation, as the first town to arise on the 
ruins of slavery. When purchased, the land was an un- 
reclaimed wilderness. It was covered with masses of 
rock, and with a rank luxuriance of vegetation that ob« 
structed the prospect. The first building erected was a 
chapel and a school-room under one roof. It was begun 
in the nK>nth of October, 1835. A larger building soon 
became necessary. This was completed in July, 1838, 
immediately preceding the close of the apprenticeship 
system. About two months before the proclamation of 
entire freedom, the first lot of land was purchased by 
Henry Lunan, formerly a slave and head-man on the 
Hampstead plantation adjoining. The remainder of the 
land was rapidly bought by the apprentices of the neigh- 
bourhood, and on the 12th of June, 1840, the settlement 
was formally opened by a religious service in the chapel. 
The township then contained about 100 families; but 
when all the purchasers had built their houses and entered 
on their tenancies they would be increased to 200. 
Though surrounded with many difficulties incident to the 
first settlement of such a spot, there was every prospect 
of a prosperity as conducive to the interests of the colony 
as to those of the labourers and artisans themselves, all of 
whom gradually found employment at moderate wages on 
the properties around. 

The township was visited by Mr. Joseph John Gumey, 
attended by Mr. Phillippo, on the 7th of March, 1840. 
Mr. Gumey thus describes his impressions : — " We spent 
Lhere] several hours. It is located on a lofty hill, and is 
surrounded by fifty acres of fertile mountain land. This 
property is divided into 150 freehold lots, fifty of which 



1840] Origin and Formation of Townships, 185 

had already been sold to the emancipated Negroes, and 
had proved a timely refuge for many labourers who had 
been driven by hard usage from their former homes. 
Some of them had built good cottages ; others, temporary 
hats; and others, again, were preparing the ground for 
building. Not a hoe, I believe, had ever been driven into 
that land before. The people settled there were all 
married pairs, mostly with families, and the men employed 
the bulk of their time in working for wages on the neigh- 
bouring estates. The chapel and the school were imme- 
diately at hand, and the religious character of the people 
stood high. Never did I witness a scene of greater 
industry, or one more marked by contentment for the 
present and hope for the future." * 

A medical gentleman visiting the town some two years 
later, and remaining there a week, thus speaks of what he 
saw : — *' Every allotment of land is now sold, and many of 
the people are applying in vain for more. The canes, 
provisions, and fruit are equal, if not superior, to any in 
the island. Many of the settlers had not a penny when 
they came ; but they have worked and paid for the land 
by its produce. They have erected comfortable cottages, 
and are now living in perfect happiness, as far as human 
happiness can be perfect. They have no anxieties ; and 
are eminently grateful, both to Christians who worked for, 
and to the God who gave them, freedom," 

Sturge Town» situated about seven miles from Spanish 
Town, and named after the eminent philanthropist Joseph 
Sturge, was the next township formed. The land was 
purchased by Mr. Phillippo, with moneys supplied from 
Ejigland, and formed part of a large estate of a thousand 
acres, the whole of which was purchased in the following 

— — - ' IIWIBIIII _ " 

♦ "A Winter in the West Indies," by Joseph John Gumey 
(London: 1840), pp. 115, 116. 



1 86 Origin and Formation of Townships. [1840 

year. At the other extremity of the estate, the village of 
Kensington was afterwards built, and opened in August, 

1 841. By this purchase some loss was incurred by Mr. 
Phillippo, as a few of the planters, finding they would be 
altogether deprived of labourers if they refused them home- 
steads, offered portions of their outlying lands for sale, 
and at a price less than that which Mr. Phillippo could 
afford. 

The lands of Kitson Town, eight miles from Spanish 
Town, consisting of 195 acres, were bought with assistance 
found on the spot, in August, 1839, and were sold chiefly 
to labourers who had been turned off from estates. The 
township was situated in the midst of a dense agricultural 
population, and was opened with a suitable ceremony on 
the 3rd of July, 1841.* 

Clarkson Town, the fourth township in order of settle- 
ment, was commenced by Mr. Phillippo in 1839. It is 
distant eight miles from Spanish Town, in a glade near 
an estate called Taylor's Caymanas. The mountains on 
either side of the long valley rear their summits to the 
clouds and nearly meet at their base. The town was 
divided into three principal streets, one of which, by an 
angle in its centre, became two, named respectively 
Victoria and Albert. Along these streets, leaving a piece 
of garden ground in front, the cottages were ranged on 
either side, at equal distances. The township was opened 
with a very interesting ceremony on the 12th of May, 

1842. "At the appointed hour," says Mr. Phillippo, "the 
words * Come to prayers ' being vociferated two or three 
times by one of the most robust and active of the villagers, 
who ascended the summit of a detached hill for the purpose. 



* Tradition reports that the settlement was on the site of a large 
Carib settlement called Guanaboa. Indian utensils and other remains 
are often found in the woods. 



1840] Origin and Formation of Towmhips. 187 

every individual in the settlement was seen wending his 
way to the rural sanctuary^ under the widespread branches 
0f the trees, fixed upon for the service. The aged and 
infirm came supporting themselves on a staff, and others 
more vigorous climbed the steep ascent with quick and 
eager step. They were seated in semi-circles, on planks 
affixed to uprights placed in the ground/' A sermon was 
preached by the Rev. T. Dowson, followed by an address 
from the pastor, who proceeded afterwards to name the 
streets of the town. ** May this infant township," were 
his closing words, '* rise under the blessing of Almighty 
God ; and may its inhabitants to the most distant posterity, 
united in bonds of Christian love and fellowship, be as one 
family, with one feeling to prompt and one principle to 
govern ! ** 

Visiting this township on his return from Sligoville, Mr. 
J. J. Gumey says : — " We returned towards Spanish Town 
by a very wild path, over stones, and through brakes and 
briars, until we came to Clarkson Town. Here we were 
refreshed by the hospitable people with draughts of 
lemonade. We found them industriously engaged in 
cultivating their own freeholds. Many of them had long 
been labourers on a neighbouring estate, from which they 
had at last been forced away by ill-treatment. Their 
cocoa-nut trees had been felled, their huts deillolished* 
What could they do but seek anew home ? They crowded 
round us, and expressed the most entire willingness again 
to work on the property if they were but treated with 
fairness and kindness. They were well known to my 
friend Phillippo, being many of them members of his 
church, and a better-conditioned or better-mannered 
peasantry could not easily be found." * 

In December, 1840, Mr. Phillippo opened the sixth of 

♦ «* Winter in the West Indies,'* pp. 1 16, 1 17. 



1 88 Origin and Formation of Townships. [1841 

these townships at Ponis, in Manchester. This property 
was bought by a combination of the people among them- 
selves, but laid out by Mr* Phillippo, who named it Vahs 
Lionel, after the excellent Grovemor, Sir Lionel Smith, 
who on the site of it had addressed the people previous 
to freedom. It is at the present time a populous place, 
and the seat of a large coffee market 

In 1842, Mr. PhilHppo calculated that the above settle- 
ments contained about 3,150 individuals. To these should 
be added several villages or townships the formation of 
which, more or less, he directed or superintended. It is 
difficult, if not impossible, he adds, to ascertain the 
number of similar settlements which sprang up within 
five or six years of emancipation. Lord Stanley stated in 
the House of Commons, in 1840, that in one parish alone 
there had been acquired by the enfranchised peasantry 
7,540 freeholds, consisting of houses and lands of various 
extent. A hundred thousand acres of land must have 
passed into the hands of the people in that short space of 
time, and a very large number of labourers were thus 
permanently withdrawn from sugar cultivation on the 
estates.* 

In a letter to Mr. Sturge, dated October 30, 1841, Mr. 
Phillippo thus sums up the general condition of the 
people : — 

'' The labouring population are in the most striking 
manner falsifying the planters' loud predictions respecting 
their conduct. The sloth and idleness which were 
imputed to them by anticipation turn out a mere dream 



* Among the nnmerous free villages established by Baptist mission- 
aries may be mentioned, Bethel Town and Mount Carey, by Mr. 
Bmx:hell ; Kettering and Hoby Town, by Mr. Knibb ; Wilberforce 
and Buxton, by Mr. Clark ; Victoria, in St. Thomas-in-the-Vale, by 
Mr. John Clarke ; and the Alps and Calabar, by Mr. Dexter. 



1841] Origin and Formation of Townships. 1S9 

of fancya The mass of the people are truly industrious ; 
and, I am persuaded, there is as much labour performed 
in the island, in the aggregate, as ever there was in slavery ; 
the failure in the last two years' crops is not attributable 
to want of labour, but solely to the calamitous drought 
with which the country has been afflicted. 

" So far ^ steady industry, sobriety, and honesty of 
conduct, and mild and peaceable demeanour are con- 
cerned, the ' grand experiment ' has in this island, not 
only perfectly succeeded, but has proved a universal and 
unalloyed blessing. 

" In some parts of the country there is still a cry for 
labour; the real want, however, is confined to a very 
limited number of estates in particular localities, and, in 
most instances, it originates in the gross mis-management 
or tyrannical conduct of the parties themselves ; the great 
bulk of the planters find no difficulty in procuring all the 
labour they require, if prepared with the means of paying 
the regular market price for it ; great numbers have not 
the necessary command of cash, and, unwilling to confess 
their own poverty, dishonestly impute their failure to 
deficiency in the labour market 

•• The true meaning of the outcry of the planters is not 
that labour is deficient, but that cheap labour is required ; 
they declare that one shilling or one shilling and sixpence 
per day is more than they can afibrd ; they flatter them- 
selves that by means of immigration they may reduce the 
market price to sixpence or ninepence per day — a palpable 
delusion ; if they could even succeed in introducing fifty 
thousand immigrants, I am persuaded it would not be the 
means of reducing the price of labour one penny." 

Mr. Phillippo's intimacy with Sir Lionel Smith afforded 
him many opportunities of serving the cause of the 
oppressed, which he was not slow to embrace ; but his 
exertions brought upon him no small amount of abuse. 



190 Origin and Furmaiion of Townships, [1841 

*' I was called/' he tells us, " ' the notorious parson 
Phillippo,' * the principal adviser of the Governor/ * the 
fabricator of apprentices' petitions/ 'the political parson/ 
* arch agitator/ &c., &c., all which, by-the-by, from the 
character of the sources from which they spring, I regard 
as the highest compliment I could receive/' Sir Lionel 
Smith left the island on the ist of October, 1839, amid 
the profound regrets of the people, and was succeeded in 
his office by Sir Charles Metcalfe, who was able, though 
with considerable difficulty, to obtain from the Legislature 
various Acts suited to the changed circumstances of the 
times. Amongst these new laws was one to legalise, 
register, and confirm marriages by Dissenters and others 
not members of the Established Church, in the progress 
of which through the Assembly Mr. Phillippo took deep 
interest. With the united aid of his brethren,* changes 
were made in the original form of the proposals, by which 
the ministers of all denominations were able to work in 
harmony with its provisions. Within four years of the 
passing of the law, the Baptist missionaries alone *cele- 
brated three thousand marriages, and took their full share 
in the endeavour to remedy the enormous mischiefs of the 
system of concubinage, which, until slavery was abolished, 
had prevailed throughout the island. 

Among the incidents of the commemoration of the first 
anniversary of freedom in Spanish Town, in 1839, Mr. 
Phillippo especially mentions the formation of a branch 
Anti-Slavery Society in connection with the English 
Society formed in the previous April in Exeter Hall, to 
promote the abolition of slavery throughout the world. 
The speech he made on this occasion was published. It 
is an animated address on the progress made since 



• Mr. Phillippo was examined by a Committee of the House of 
Assembly on the subject. 



184.1] Origin and Formation of Townships, 191 

181 1 in the overthrow of slavery and the slave trade, and 
urges at length the necessity which still existed to seek 
the destruction of this enemy of human rights in all parts 
of the globe. '*It cannot be," he said, "that the sons 
and daughters of Africa in Jamaica and the other British 
islands of the West, now enjoying freedom, that best 
earthly gift to man, can be indifferent to the liberties of 
their brethren and friends. Well may you determine to 
tell the merciless tyrants who ravage your fatherland that 
the days of their guilt are numbered, and that their ill- 
gotten gains are at an end. You will tell them that Africa 
is about to become her own guardian, and to avenge her 
own wrongs by the devotion of her own sons and 
daughters, now disenthralled, to the sacred cause of her 
liberty ; and that her freedom they will have, whatever be 
the labour, and whatever the * sacrifice." It was most 
gratifying to the feelings of Mr. Phillippo that his people 
should heartily cherish the hope of assisting the down- 
trodden in their fatherland, and be so ready to help, in 
however feeble a manner, to dry up at their source the 
evils from which they had so recently escaped. 



CHAPTER XXIL 

VISIT TO WINDWARD ISLANDS— 1841 TO 1842. 

During the year 1841 the strifes and dissension between 
the planters and their labourers were to some extent 
allayed, and a better understanding was established. 
Individual instances of wrong and oppression were not 
indeed infrequent ; but the mass of the population was 
happy and prosperous. The conciliatory conduct of 
Sir C. Metcalfe, the Governor, towards the House of 
Assembly largely contributed to the passing of measures 
suitable to the altered condition of the country ; while the 
improved well-being of the people enabled them to bear 
without much suffering the drought with which the island 
was visited. The exertions of Mr. Phillippo during the 
anxious months immediately following entire emancipa- 
tion had greatly impaired his health, so that a period of 
rest had become absolutely necessary; but he was not 
able till the close of the year to seek the relaxation he 
required. 

A recognition of his labours received in the month of 
June gave him much satisfaction. It consisted of a 
diploma of membership in the " Council of the Institute 
of Africa " in France, accompanied by a veiy flattering 
estimate of his services to the cause of freedom. In his 
reply he says : — ** Although I fear the kindness and 
partiality of friends have led them greatly to overstate 
the influence I have been enabled to exert for the general 
benefit of the African race, and thereby multiplied the 



1 841] Visii to Windward Islands. 193 

claims I possess upon the consideration of your honour- 
able Committee, yet I flatter myself I may affirm, without 
suspicion to the contrary in the breasts of those around 
me, that the temporal and spiritual interests of this 
oppressed and benighted people have long been a subject 
of my most ardent solicitude. I cannot but regard 
association with your Society in the benevolent designs it 
contemplates as a distinguished privilege and honour. 
The nature and extent of my engagements will, I am 
apprehensive, preclude the probability of my rendering 
material service to the Institution in the way of official 
correspondence ; but I hope, by practical efforts for the 
furtherance of its designs, I shall not wholly disappoint 
the expectations that have been formed of my qualifications 
and character." 

It was with no little pleasure that Mr. Phillippo saw 
and encouraged the desire of his congregations to share 
in the plans now in course of preparation by the parent 
Society for an evangelistic mission on the Western Coast 
of Africa.* At the missionary meeting held in the chapel 
at Spanish Town on the 2nd of August he read to them the 
letters of Messrs. Clarke and Prince, then on a tour of 
exploration, and contrasted with great effect the condition 
of Jamaica with that of their fatherland. His address 
called forth the warmest expressions of sympathy, and a 
resolve that they would not be behind their brethren in 



*At the annual meeting of the Western Association in Brown's 
Town, 1840, it was resolved to request Mr. Knibb, then abont to visit 
England, to bring before the Committee of the Baptist Missionary 
Society the im]>ortance of a mission to Western Africa. The {Project 
was favonrably entertained by the Committee, and they engaged the 
Rev. John Clarke, then in England, and Dr. Prince to undertake an 
exploratory visit to the coast. They left England in October, 1840, 
and arrived at Fernando Po on the ist of January, 1841. — ** Voice of 
Jubilee," p. 119. 

O 



194 Visit to Windward Islands. [1841 

other parts of the island in energy and zeal for the pro- 
motion of this sacred cause. 

It was on the 9th of December, i84i> that Mr. Phillippo 
was at length able to leave his charge and to go on board 
the Firefly^ one of H.M.'s steamers, to seek that relief to 
body and mind now become imperative. The vessel was 
bound for Barbadoes. The brief stay of the steamer at 
the various ports on the route allowed but few observa- 
tions to be made on the condition of their inhabitants ; 
but he was charmed with the beauty and grandeur of the 
scenery as they coasted along the shores of the numerous 
islands that form the breakwater of the Caribbean Sea 
against the waves of the Atlantic. 

The first port to be reached was St. Jago, in Cuba. Mr. 
Phillippo did not venture to land, well knowing the hatred 
of the Spaniards to all friends of liberty to the slave. 
Threats of assassination had only recently driven from the 
island a Wesleyan minister, an agent of the Bible Society, 
then on a brief visit to Havana. Slavery existed in Cuba 
in all its horrors, and the decay everywhere visible in the 
town and its surroundings, as seen from the ship, bore 
ample evidence to the wretchedness which follows its 
hateful presence. 

A short hcur^s visit to Porto Rico did not afford much 
matter of interest, but at nine o'clock the same evening 
they reached the Island of St. Thomas, where the next 
day was occupied with rambles about the city, visiting the 
stores, and climbing the mountain side which dominates 
the small but beautiful harbour. 

Two days and a-half were spent in Barbadoes whOe 
waiting for the return steamer. ** Barbadoes," he says, " is 
very different in appearance to Jamaica, being all under 
cultivation, and presenting none of the bold mountain 
scenery which characterises the West India Islands 
generally. Bridge Town, the capital, is much more 



1 841] Visit to Windward Islands, 195 

regularlj built, and much more in the style of English 
towns, than any town I have seen in these colonies. At 
each extremity of the town, and in the interior of the 
island, are the very beautiful villas and residences of the 
merchants and others of the more wealthy inhabitants, 
embosomed in groves of fine trees and lovely flowering 
shrubs. I collected a few seeds of plants new to me, but 
the time was unfavourable to my making a good coUec- 
Uon." 

The longest stay was made in the Island of Haiti, where 
he stopped on his return voyage. He landed at Cape Henry 
on the 30th of December, and, possessing letters of introduc- 
tion, he received a hearty welcome from the Commandant, 
General Bottex« and his son, Captain Bottex. On reaching 
the palace he found the General in bed, but was immediately 
admitted to his chamber, and received a most hearty wel- 
come as the friend of the slave. " The General," he relates, 
" spoke with great enthusiasm of the philanthropists of 
England, many of whom he named, and of the noble gener- 
osity of the Government. On retiring he grasped my hand 
with much apparent cordiality and affection. His son, in 
conversation afterwards, expressed himself strongly in 
favour of Protestantism, denouncing the errors of Popery 
and the conduct of the priests as tending to lead intelli- 
gent men into Deism. He said that Christophe at the 
commencement of his reign sent to England for school- 
masters, and established schools on the Lancasterian 
system. I was present one evening at a soirie in the 
palace. Most of the company were, of course, coloured 
and black. Their costume and manners were exact 
reproductions of the French. All was in Parisian fashion, 
but the greatest propriety was observed throughout the 
evening. 

" I found in the city of Port au Prince only one Protestant 

congregation, a very small community of Wesleyans, under 

o 2 



196 Visii to Windward Islands, [1S42 

the care of the missionary, the Rev. Mr. Bird. There were 
also in the town a few American Baptists, who held 
services among themselves. To Mr. Bird and his excellent 
wife I needed no introduction, as I had known them in 
Jamaica. Mr. Bird very kindly took me about the city, 
and explained the causes of the dilapidated condition of 
the forts, the public offices, and many of the best private 
buildings. The city is beautifully laid out. The houses 
are mostly two and three stories high, with trellises« 
covered with flowers, the entire leng'th of the galleries in 
front of the houses. But many of the houses are nn- 
roofed, the street paving is broken up, and the whole city 
tells the sad tale of the desolation and horrors of war. 

*'The proprietor of the estate, which was once the 
principal country residence of Christophe, invited me to 
take a day's excursion to see the advantages of the 
Metairie system of cultivation on his property. He ac- 
cordingly buckled on his sword, and we started, passing 
on our way through rivers haunted by alligators. The estate 
had no doubt been a splendid one, as the ruins of the house 
and the magnificent gateway, with its avenue of palm- 
trees, testified. But I was not enamoured of his system. 
He paid the labourers their share of profits in kind, which 
was mostly spent, before it was earned, in intemperance* 
I said, ' This plan, while it might do well for the master, 
ruined the labourer.' He replied, ' I have nothing to do 
with that ; every man must do the best for himself.' 

" In the evening I rode out into the suburbs of the 
city with Mr. Thompson, who showed me the remains of 
a residence of Christophe's, where he had committed so 
many murders, the dens into which the bodies had been 
thrown, his palace, which he did not live to finish, and the 
ruins and grounds of the Jesuits' College. He also pointed 
out to me the spot hallowed by the memoiy of Tonssaint 
I'Ouverture." 



1842] Visit to Windward Islands. 197 

The principal object of this brief sojourn in Haiti may 
be gathered from the following extract from a letter to 
the Rev. John Dyer, dated Spanish Town, the 21st 
January* 1842, a fortnight after his return to Jamaica :-— 
**I passed the interval of a packet at Cape Haitien, 
availing myself of letters of introduction from gentlemen 
here to personal acquaintances. I was hospitably enter- 
tained and most kindly treated by them, especially by the 
British Consul and the Governor. My communications 
with the latter related almost entirely to the moral and 
religious state and prospects of Jamaica and Haiti, and I 
am happy to say as the result that Haiti presents an 
open door to the preaching of the Gospel by Baptist 
missionaries — the most ample protection being afforded 
by the Government to ministers and Christians of all de- 
nominations.*' Encouraged by the representations of Mr. 
Pbillippo, the Society shortly after commenced its inter- 
esting mission in Haiti, at Jacmel, a town on the sea- 
coast on the south side oi the island, and a port fre- 
quented by the English mails on their route to Jamaica. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

INDEPENDENCE ASSUMED BY THE CHURCHES— 

1842. 

Matters of great importance engaged Mr. Phillippo's 
attention immediately on his return. The continuation of 
the letter just quoted will best describe them. '' I arrived 
in Spanish Town about a fortnight ago, very shortly 
before the meeting of our Annual Association, I am 
thankful to say the better for the trip, although the disease 
of which I complained is yet far from being removed. 
Several matters of importance were attended to at the 
Association, some of which I will briefly notice. 

" I. — It was unanimously resolved (to the effect) that, 
after the ist of August next, no further drafts be made on 
the parent Society in aid of the Jamaica Mission, and that 
the amounts required by any brother previously to that 
time be ascertained and forwarded to the Committee. 

*' Although I and others of my brethren who are not in 
the secrets of the Western Union had some cause to com- 
plain of the circumstances under which this resolution 
was proposed, yet so glorious in all respects would be 
its results, if carried into effect, that, deeply involved as I 
am in a pecuniary way, I not only cordially approved the 
resolution, but publicly expressed the honour I felt in pre- 
siding on the occasion. I, therefore, as the senior mis- 
sionary here, on the assurance that the Committee would 
not object to the grant of a loan in relief of present 
liabilities, at once set the example to the brethren simi- 
larly circumstanced with myself, of entirely relinquishing 
all further drafts on the Society, except under very peca- 



1842] Independence assumed by ihe Churches, 199 

liar circumstances, from the commencement of the pre- 
sent year. The consequence of this will be, as I then 
stated, a suspension to a very considerable degree of 
my chapel-building operations, and a diminution of the 
number and efficiency of my schools ; and this will, of 
course, greatly increase and protract my anxieties, as well 
as involve no ordinary sacrifice of feeling. Impossibilities 
cannot be done, and if in the ' last great day ' I shall be 
^counted faithful over the few things committed to my 
trust it will be enough. 

*' II.— The Institution. — Af^er some debate it was car- 
ried, as an amendment to ah original resolution, that, no 
premises having been found more central, Calabar, near 
Rio Bueno, be fixed on as its seat, until others more 
eligible can be found. The opinion of those on the south 
side is, decidedly, that Kingston, the neighbourhood of 
Spanish Town, or the centre of the parish of St. Ann's 
are in all respects preferable ; and I fear, if any attempt be 
made to continue it at Calabar, where it would be almost 
exclusively under the influence of the Western UnioDv it 
will lead to very unpleasant consequences. 

"III. — ^The subject of the African Mission scarcely 
admitted of a difference of opinion. All engaged to help 
it forward to the utmost practicable extent. Brother Mer- 
rick*— subject, of course, to the approval of the Committee 
— goes to join his beloved pastor (the Rev, John Clarke) in 
Africa. As a neighbour and friend I shall deeply regret 
his loss ; a more pious, devoted, and amiable man cannot 
be found in the mission. 

" IV. — A long discussion ensued as to the matter of the 
calumnies circulated against us as missionaries and our 
churches, on which it was resolved that some one of our 
brethren should be appointed a deputation to England for 
the especial object of disproving them, and counteracting 
their influence on the public mind. As brethren Abbott, 



200 Independence assumed by the Chmrckes, ['^4^ 

Oaghton, and Clarke intimated their intention, or desire, 
to retnm home daring the summer, it was resolved, after a 
prajrer-meetingfor Divine direction in oor choice, that the 
individual should be selected by ballot The lot fell upon 
brother Knibb, who had eleven votes out of the nineteen 
given ; and, as it was represented that he was sent for by the 
Committee to attend the Jubilee of the Society, and as at 
the same time some anxiety was expressed that his appoint- 
ment should be unanimous, all coincided in the decision. 

^ I regret to hear, what I sincerely hope is incorrect, 
that the Committee have at length recognised both the 
Western Union and the Annual Association in their 
associate capacity, as power may thereby be acquired 
which may not only be extremely injurious to the happi- 
ness of individuals and the general welfare of the mission 
here, but which may operate materially against the Society 
at large, of which it is possible the Committee themselves 
may become the first victims, or, at all events, which they 
might find it very difiicult to control. If anything like a 
Presbytery is countenanced, our bond of union is dissolved, 
and the citadel will be desolated by foes within. 

" If ever there was a time in the history of the Jamaica 
Mission that particularly called for the exercise of prudence 
and discretion on the part of the Committee, it is now. 
I would reiterate it to the Committee with earnestness. 
Continue to maintain your legitimate influence over the 
Jamaica Mission, and be jealous of the least usurpation of 
your rights. I throw these out as hints, considering that 
in doing so" I am only fulfilling an obvious duty." 

It is clear from this letter that Mr. Phiilippo had a full 
perception of the importance of the measures taken by 
the Association. The resolution to cut the mission adrift 
from the funds of the Society did not meet with his entire 
approbation ; and it is due to him that a note appended 
to the copy of the above letter in his journal, and dated so 



1842] Independence assumed by the Churches, 20 r 

late as the year 1876, should be given. ''Thus, not to 
stand in the way of accomplishing the object (that is, the 
complete cessation of drafts on the Society), if it could be 
done» as was confidently affirmed by Messrs. Knibb and 
others, I, however, opposed the resolution as premature, 
and as likely to be a death-blow to the mission, proposing 
a diminution of the drafts first. One or two of the 
brethren also entered their protest. I only agreed on the 
condition of loans being granted by the Committee. I 
now record (in 1876) that our mission began to decline 
from this day onwards to the present time." 

Leaving to subsequent pages to justify or otherwise the 
concluding words of this note, it is matter for surprise 
that neither at the time, nor for two years afterwards, 
until the necessities of the brethren forced attention to 
the subject, was there any attempt made to define the 
future relations of the missionaries to the Society, or to 
arrange those many questions of detail which were ne- 
cessarily involved in this momentous decision. That the 
charches in Jamaica would at some period become inde- 
pendent of the funds of the Society, and be thrown on 
their own resources for the maintenance of the Gospel of 
Christ in their midst, was not indeed a new idea. The 
proved capability of many of the churches to support 
their pastors, as in the case of Mr. Phillippo himself, who 
for several years had drawn his stipend from the church in 
Spanish Town ; the frequent assertion of such representa- 
tive men as Mr. Knibb,* Mr. Burchell, Mr. Dendy, and 
- 

* Urns, in relation to the support of the African Mission, Mr. 
Knibb said to the Home Committee, '' X will pledge my church to 
jf 1,000, and I will get it in a week. I will pledge Mr. Dendy's 
dmrch for jf 500 or ;{'6oo, and he will get it in a few days. I will send 
to Jamaica, and I am sure we shall get our money as soon as you get 
yoms."— Memoir, p. 364* And this in addition to the ordinary con- 
tribations of the people. 



202 Independence assumed by the Churches, [1842 

others, that the churches were both able and willing to 
undertake this duty ; and the large sums that were raised 
for new chapels, manses, and school-houses frequently led 
the Committee at home to inquire whether, and how soon, 
the Society could be relieved from the burden and 
responsibility of their support. The drain on the revenne 
of the Society for Jamaica objects* could not be met with* 
out incurring constant and increasing debt, nor with- 
out neglecting the obligations the Society was under to 
its older missions in the East ; so that the pressure from 
home was not inconsiderable to realise the bold and san- 
guine forecasts of the Jamaica brethren. The demand 
for relief to the home treasury became in 1841 more 
urgent than ever. It was absolutely necessary to escape 
in some way from the embarrassments which the rapid 
growth of the requirements of Jamaica brought upon the 
Society*! The Committee at home, therefore, hailed with 
joy the resolution of the missionaries ; and, if in any 
minds there were doubts of the wisdom of the measure, 
they were quieted by the manifest proofs which the Jamaica 
churches had given of their ability to fulfil their pledge. 
This was the more confidently relied upon since the 
demand for new chapels was rapidly being met; and, 
although debts of considerable amount remained to be 
liquidated, there was at the time no sign that the 
prosperity the island then enjoyed would meet with an 
early check, or that the means of the people would 
undergo a rapid and painful diminution. 

* In 1839, the cost to the Society of the Jamaica Mission was 
;f 6.514; in i840,;^6,870; in i84i,;^9.oi6; in 1842, ;f 9,701. 

t In 1839 the debt of the Society was jf2,63i; in 1840, ;f 3,341 ; 
in 1 84 1, jf 1,958 I in 1842, jf 3,943 ; notwithstanding that daring the 
first three of these years j^4,6io had been contributed by the British 
churches to remove the yearly accruing deficit. The average income 
of the Society for the four years was only j^i 6,944, to support all its 
missions both in the East and West. 



1842] Independence assumed by the Churches. zoj 

The wish expressed by Mr. Phillippo that the parent 
Society should retain some control over the future develop- 
ment of the churches does not seem to have met with 
any sympathy from the majority of the missionaries, nor 
was it ever brought before the Committee as a desirable 
object to secure. Indeed, under the laws which usually 
govern Baptist churches, it is difficult to see how the 
Society, when it had ceased to furnish pecuniary aid to 
the congregations in Jamaica, could claim or exercise 
any authority or control over their proceedings. Arrange- 
ments were made shortly afterwards to secure by the trust 
deeds the permanent use of the property of the churches 
for the purposes for which it had been acquired, by giving 
to the Missionary Society the reversion in case of any 
future abandonment or misappropriation ; but, beyond 
this. Baptist principles forbade any interference on the 
part of an extraneous body with the internal development 
or practices of the churches. Thus independence of 
pecuniary support from without carried with it independ- 
ence of control from without ; and no one would have been 
more jealous of interference on the part of the Society 
than the brethren who felt themselves able to carry 
forward the work of Christ's Kingdom in Jamaica without 
the necessity of seeking its pecuniary aid. As it was, the 
chief hesitation to enter on this new stage in the mission 
on the part of Mr. Phillippo and those who thought with 
him arose from the difficulties they were then experiencing 
in the payment of their chapel debts. 

The warning given by Mr. Phillippo in the closing 
paragraph of his letter has special reference to his fear 
that efforts would be made in Jamaica itself to interfere 
with the lawful independence of the churches. On more 
than one occasion in former years he had expressed 
anxiety on this point, arising from what he thought were 
symptoms of *' Presbyterianising'* on the part of the 



204 Independence assumed hy the Churches. t.1842 

Western Union and the Annual Association. Of the 
Union he had long ceased to be a member ; but he con- 
tinued his alliance with the more general body, the Annual 
Association. Thus, in a letter to the Rev. John Dyer, 
dated September, 1837, he says that he fully agrees with 
the Committee " in their opinion as to the impolicy of 
recognising the brethren here (in Jamaica) as an asso- 
ciated body, and of corresponding with them in their 
united capacity. You will remember that I have more 
than once in my letters seriously deprecated spch a re- 
cognition, as likely to entail serious consequences both 
to the Committee and to the independence of our respect- 
ive churches." In the following passage from his diary, 
under date of 1837, he more particularly refers to the 
origin of the above remarks : — *' Several attempts have 
been made by some of the brethren to form an associa- 
tion of ministers and churches, assimilated .to a Presby- 
terian synod, and thus to concentrate in a few of the 
brethren the power of an executive body, destroying the 
individuality of the churches and the independence of 
their action, as also that of their pastors. I felt the im* 
portance of standing out against this innovation for 
several years, and succeeded to a considerable degree in 
preventing its adoption and in neutralising its occasional 
exercise." Mr. Phillippo's fears were not altogether 
imaginary, and subsequent years have testified to the 
wisdom and discretion he displayed in opposing the 
existence of a power that would undoubtedly have shaken 
the mission to its foundation. 

The establishment of an institution for the training of 
Jamaica Christian men for the ministry had for many 
years been a favourite object with Mr. Phillippo. It has 
already been referred to. But in 1837 he pressed the 
matter on the Committee in an elaborate letter, in which 
he fully entered on the various aspects of the question. 



1842] Independence assumed by the Churches, 205 

On the employment of a native agency, he says : " I have 
almost hitherto imagined that I have been in advance of 
the Society in this particular. Hence I have at this time» 
and have long had, the services of upwards of forty sub- 
ordinate agents, each of whom has a class-house, or place 
of worship, in which he conducts the regular worship of 
God one or two evenings of the week. I refer to my 
leaders and deacons, being naturally the most intelligent 
and worthy members of my churches, who are in almost 
every sense of the word as much native assistants, or local 
preachers, as some of the converts in Hindustan. They 
have not been ordained to the work of evangelists for 
various reasons. Most of them are apprentices, and not 
more than two or three of them can read intelligibly. 
From their circumstances they are not eligible to the 
office of pastors. I have, however, already applied to the 
Committee for assistance in support of three or four 
young men who may be employed to advantage, having 
received a tolerably good education, and proved their 
qualifications for the work by their disinterested labours 
and addresses in our Sabbath-schools." 

The abolition of the apprenticeship opened the way for 
the education and employment of such young men as these, 
and in 1840 the missionary brethren arranged that one of 
the senior missionaries, the Rev. Joshua Tinson, should 
commence the work. Six young men, who gave promise 
of becoming useful preachers of the Gospel, were selected ; 
but the sudden failure of Mr. Tinson's health brought the 
efibrt to a premature close. Encouraged, however, by the 
promise of aid from the Jubilee Fund of the parent 
Society, the subject was not permitted to fall into abey- 
ance, and, as the statement of Mr. Phillippo shows, the 
institution was now determined upon. The premises at 
Calabar, on the north side of the island, were purchased, 
and the college buildings erected at the cost of the 



2o6 Independence assumed by the Churches. [1842 

Society. It was opened on the 6th Of October, 1843, under 
the presidency of Mr. Tinson, who had returned in good 
health from England, with eight students, to whom /our 
more were added before the close of the year. Here 
Mr. Tinson continued to labour till his lamented death in 
December, 1850. The formation of such a '' school of the 
prophets " had become essential, in order to supply pas- 
tors to the numerous churches which had sprung up in all 
parts of the island, and the more so since there was no 
prospect that the Society would continue to send labourers 
from England, either to open up new spheres of labour, 
or to fill vacancies which death or other causes might 
bring about. In the last years of the Society's grants for 
the support of the mission, a considerable number of men, 
both as schoolmasters and missionaries, had been sent 
out.* But it seems now to have been understood on all 
sides that, with the independence of the churches, they 
must be left to their own resources to multiply pastors 
and ministers of the Word. 

It will be noticed in the above extract from Mr. 
Phillippo*s letter on native agency that reference is made 
to the employment of a large number of uneducated and 
untrained men as leaders to conduct Divine worship in the 
numerous class-houses belonging to his congregations. 
The leader-system was adopted throughout the island by the 
Baptist missionaries, and sprang out of the necessities of 
the time. Slavery had no compassion for the ignorant, 
and rare indeed were the instances in which a slave-owner 
attempted to instruct his slaves, either in the art of read- 
ing or in the knowledge of salvation. Some organisation 
was required, however rude or imperfect, to watch over 
and control the multitudes who crowded to the churches 

* In 1840 ten new missionaries were sent out in answer to the elo- 
quent appeals of the Rev. W. Knibb, who visited England for the 
purpose, at a cost of more than ;^2,ooo. 



1842] Independence assunud by the Churches. 207 

• 

and filled the ranks of inquirers. The missionaries, from 
necessity, fell back upon the more intelligent among their 
slave members, and placed them over their fellow-slaves* 
t>oth because the overseers of estates regarded with ex- 
treme jealousy the visits of strangers to the homes of the 
slaves on their properties, and because no others could 
be found. For some years, especially after the appren- 
ticeship was abolished, representations were made by 
various persons, for the most part inimical to the mission, 
that the missionaries displayed great carelessness in the 
selection and oversight of these agents, and that as a class 
they were ignorant, superstitious, and often immoral men ; 
that the tickets which were given to recognised inquirers 
and church members were regarded as passports to 
heaven ; and that the missionaries baptized great numbers 
of unconverted men. It added to the authority, if not 
to the gravity, of these charges that two or three of their 
own brethren in some measure combined with ministers 
of other bodies to affirm their truth. It was certainly not 
requisite that the missionaries should assert that there was 
no truth at all in the accusations. The known conditions 
of their work rendered it impossible that there should not 
be here and there individual adherents worthy of reproba- 
tion. Yet there can be no doubt, on the other hand, that 
the general implication that the entire system was fatally 
and wilfully faulty was untrue, and a calumny on the noble, 
generous, and disinterested efforts of multitudes of good 
men, trained indeed in slavery, but whose earnest desire 
it was to lead their fellow-bondsmen to Christ They 
exposed themselves to bitter suffering and persecution, and 
even death itself. To this day there are living old men who 
bear on their persons the marks of the deadly whip, or the 
gunshot wound received in the service of Christ. By far 
the greater part of them proved by their Christian lives 
and happy deaths that they were Christians indeed* 



2o8 Independence assumed by the Churches, [1B42 

The brant of this attack had to be borne chiefly by the 
missionaries on the north side of the island. Hence the 
selection of the Rev. W. Knibb to represent them in Eng- 
land, and whose triumphant vindication now renders any 
further explanation unnecessary.* Mr. Philiippo, however^ 
shared in the defence, and, though unable from his ill* 
health to unite with Mr. Knibb in the public justification 
of himself and brethren on the platform, yet with his pen, 
in the various periodicals of the day, he bore his testimony 
on behalf of trath and righteousness. It will be suffi- 
cient to quote the deliberate judgment of the Committee, 
after a very diligent examination into the whole subject, 
given in their parting address to the churches: — "We 
have been rejoiced on all occasions to find that these ac- 
cusations cannot be substantiated. The unsolicited testi- 
mony of men of unimpeachable judgment and impar- 
tiality — we refer to the published works of Messrs* 
Gnrney, Sturge, and Candler; the well-attested results of 
your own church discipline, as apparent in the annual 
return of the Association ; and the maxim of Divine 
authority, that a tree is to be known by its fruits, have 
concurred with our specific inquiries to satisfy us of the 
general falsehood of the charges which have been brought 
against you." 

On his return from the Windward Islands Mr. Phillippo 
had hoped for a long spell of earnest and continuous 
work. But after a few Sabbaths of labour the former 
symptoms of ill-health returned, and he felt himself con- 
strained to accept the invitation of the Committee to 
assist in the Jubilee services at Kettering, which he had 
at first declined, and to seek in England a season of rest. 
He could leave his charge with satisfaction in the hands 
of the Rev. Thomas Dowson, who reached Jamaica in 

■ ■■ ■ ■ ■ " 

• See " Memoir of Knibb," by Rev. J. H. Hinton, pp. 423-4261. 



1842] Independence assumed by the Churches^ 209 

the early part of the year. The churches were floarishing. 
In February he had baptized at Passage Fort, in the River 
Cobre, near its mouth, " twenty-eight individuals who had 
for some time previously given evidence of repentance 
towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the 
midst of hundreds who crowded the beach, and multitudes 
in canoes, which formed a semi-circle around the place of 
baptism." His schools generally were prosperous, and a 
most interesting and successful examination of the metro- 
politan schools had been held in the presence of the 
Hon. T. J. Bernard. In April he opened the new 
chapel at Sligoville, and in the following month the new 
township called Clarksonville was ready for settlement. A 
brief extract or two from a letter forwarded to him by the 
deacons of his church well expresses the feelings with 
which they viewed his departure :— " We earnestly hope 
that the blessing and peace of God may attend you, your 
dear wife, and all who go along with you, and we would 
entreat you never to lose sight of your promise, or suffer 
any other thought to take root in your mind, than that of 
coming back to labour among the people that you have for 
so many years been the instrument of turning from nature's 
darkness to the saving knowledge of our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ, and some of whom are the subjects of sor-> 
row at parting with you, and exhibit the utmost concern 
for your safety by their earnest supplications to Almighty 
God. They cherish the hope that you will soon have re- 
covered your wonted strength and ability, and that not 
many months shall have passed before they have the 
privilege of seeing you again in the flesh." 

Mr. Phillippo, with his wife and his younger son, Edwin, 
sailed on the 12th of June in the Rawlins^ and, after a 
long and, on the whole, pleasant passage, arrived in 
London on the 9th of July. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

RESIDENCE IN ENGLAND— 184a TO 1843. 

Mr. Phillippo had scarcely arrived in London than very 
numerous applications were pressed upon him to give his 
services at missionary and anti-slavery meetings. He 
had hoped to take part in the jubilee meeting of the 
Society at Kettering in the autumn of the year, as well as to 
communicate to public assemblies his rich stores of infor- 
mation on all matters relative to Jamaica and the results 
of emancipation. In this he was painfully disappointed. 
During the eighteen months of his sojourn in England, 
the occasions were rare in which he was able to appear 
in public, and though he enjoyed in private intercourse 
frequent opportunities of meeting leading ministers and 
philanthropists, and of conferring with them on many 
points of interest and doubt, he felt deeply the seclusion 
to which he was consigned. The doctors whose advice he 
sought — ^and among them were some of the most eminent 
men of the day-^one and all prescribed rest and entire 
abstinence from public speaking. The organs of speech 
had been so sorely tried in the overwhelming duties of 
his work in Jamaica that his future usefulness was im- 
perilled should he fail to obtain relief. In a letter from 
Norwich to his life-long friend, the Rev. J. PJ Mursell, he 
thus describes the condition of his health : — " My throat 
is in so relaxed and inflamed a state that I am here with 
my brother, undergoing a course of treatment for it 
which binds me to his surgery, and positively forbids the 



1842] Residence in England. 211 

slightest degree of exposure or excitement. Every 
physician, moreover, whom I have consulted expresses it 
as his full conviction that, unless the treatment I am now 
under is continued without interruption for some months, 
and unbroken silence is observed, the probability is that 
my public duties will be or are at an end. This would be 
a very painful consequence, and one, I am sure, neither you 
nor my Leicester friends would wish me to hazard on any 
consideration. From the same cause I cannot go to 
Ireland with you, which you will believe me when I say it is 
to me a source of real and painful regret. A good cause, 
plenty to say, physical vigour and health at disposal, but 
the lips sealed I No one can tell the sacrifice it is to me. 
But I must not murmur 1 " From Norwich he went to 
Hastings, where he spent most of the autumn and 
winter, though to little purpose, and it was not till 
towards the close of 1 843 that he was pronounced equal 
to a moderate amount of public employment. 

He found some consolation in the warm welcome he 
received from his many friends; among whom none 
exhibited more watchful care and constant attentions 
than Joseph Fletcher, Esq. To this gentleman he had 
been, moreover, greatly indebted for numerous liberal gifts 
towards the support of his schools. Their friendship was 
now confirmed and deepened yet more, and bore generous 
fruit. Mr. Fletcher's was the strong arm that nobly 
sustained Mr. Phillippo during those coming years of 
trouble and distress, the shadows of which even now at 
times seemed to throw their gloom over his mind in his 
retirement. The following brief but characteristic note 
preserved by Mr. Phillippo will sufficiently indicate the 
warm interest in his welfare displayed by this staunch 
friend :— 

••Shooter's Hill, August 29th, 1842.— My dear Sir,— 

The dispensation is trying, and you need a// that faith and 

p 2 



212 Residence in England, [1842 

patience which are promised to the believer, and are 
sufficient to perfect his strength by a communication from 
the Almighty, who does not anything in vain. You must 
strictly be obedient, and waive present gratification for the 
hope of future enjoyment. Act the Christian philosopher, 
armed by a power the Grecians never knew. If ' enter not 
into temptation ' had been rightly understood, you would 
not have been seen in the large party at J. J. Gume/s. 
The chaplet of flowers, ornamental to the victim, was to it 
no compensation for the sacrifice; and where you will 
meet one who will understand that friend Phillippo must 
not talk, you will find a thousand who will prefer hearing 
our friend to his safety and future usefulness. Say not that 
I am censorious. The truth I write (being a libel upon man, 
which sages say means woman also) is a truth neverthe- 
less. I trust that much good will come out of your 
affliction, and that you will be rendered the means of 
opening the eyes of the public to the delusion under which 
they so long have suffered. May you be preserved and 
directed ; all you do being under a holy influence, and 
being caused to bear upon the best interests of men. We 
all return to Mrs. Phillippo and to you our kindest 
remembrance, and shall be happy when you renew your 
visit under circumstances of less privation and more 
enjoyment." 

The ** censorious " remark of Mr. Fletcher met with a 
very complete justification at the Annual Meeting in April, 
1843. ^''* Phinippo was introduced to the assembly by 
the Rev. Dr. Brock as an old missionary lying under a 
strict injunction not to attempt to speak. But the injunc- 
tion availed nothing; he was compelled by the warm 
expressions of sympathy called forth, and by the urgency 
of some brethren sitting near him, to rise and address a 
few words to the assembly. He said that he '^ should have 
been glad to advert to the extraordinary change which had 



1843] Residence in England. 213 

been effected in the entire aspect of society in Jamaica 
since the commencement of missionary operations, to have 
adduced facts and anecdotes illustrative of the purity of the 
churches, and to have urged these successes as a stimulus 
to more persevering and vigorous effort for the extension 
of the Gospel throughout all the West India Islands, 
South America, and Africa." But he was bound to abide 
by the decision of his physician, and listen to the urgent 
objections of friends around him. Happily, the fruits of 
his experience were not lost to the Christian Church. The 
chief employment of Mr. Phillippo in his enforced leisure 
was the preparation of the work which he published in 
the autumn of 1843, under the title of " Jamaica : its Past 
and Present State."* The work was entered upon after 
much consultation with friends, and in a spirit of devout 
dependence on Divine aid. In the following lines he 
expresses the feelings with which he undertook the task : — 

" If Thine, Great Spirit ! is the cause I plead, 
Then deign my erring mind and pen to guide : 

For well I know the wisdom which I need 
Can only be by Thine own hand supplied ; 
Without Thee, I am lost in thought's wild tide. 

Oh ! let no love of self my work impair ; 
I would be well content Thy voice to be : 

Make me like pearly dew, or morning air : 
From love of power, and vain ambition free : 
Unseen and lost, except when serving Thee." 

The book was well received, and had a large and 
remunerative circulation, three editions being rapidly 
exhausted. The earlier portion of the volume is devoted 
to a sketch of the geography and history of the island, 
its physical aspects, vegetable and mineral productions. 



• Tlie foil title is " Jamaica : its Past and Present State. By James 
M. Phillippo, of Spanish Town, Jamaica ; Twenty Years a Baptist 
Missionary in that Island. London : John Snow. 1843." 



214 Residence in England. ['^43 

■ 

Mr. Phillippo next describes the population, the govem- 
menty and the divisions necessary for purposes of 
administration* After a brief account of the white and 
free coloured portions of the population, he gives an 
animated picture of the condition of the slaves, which 
naturally introduces an account of the slave trade, the 
establishment of the apprenticeship system, and the final 
overthrow of slavery by the great Act of Emancipation on 
the istof August, 1838. Interesting disquisitions follow 
on the intellectual character and social condition of the 
Negroes under slavery, with a description of its dreadful 
effects on the moral life of society. Several chapters are 
then devoted to the state of religion in the island, its 
spread through the labours of missionaries of various 
Christian denominations, and its blessed results on the 
life and conduct of the people. The work closes with an 
appeal to the sympathies and benevolence of the Christian 
world to complete and perfect the work so well begun. 

The volume is an excellent specimen of Mr. Phillippo*s 
powers as an author. His taste for scenery, and his 
delight in the study of natural history, are apparent through- 
out. It is never tedious. It is enlivened in parts by 
quaint and sometimes pathetic anecdotes illustrative of 
the Negro character. Their proverbs, their superstitions, 
their African usages, find a place in his picture. Their 
conduct under both slavery and freedom is brought 
distinctly before the reader; and there is given the 
fullest information as to the causes and results of emanci- 
pation. The style is here and there ornate, with an 
occasional poetical phrase, somewhat diffuse, but in the 
main simple and direct, while every touch and sketch 
bears the marks of the writer's truthfulness and integrity. 
Highly as his work was commended in the various publi- 
cations of the day, perhaps not one testimony to its 
interest and value pleased its author more than that con- 



1843] Residence in England, 215 

tained in a brief note from the venerable Clarkson, who 
said : " I have read the book with no ordinary pleasure. 
Ta the Abolitionist it will afford a great treat, because he 
will see in the conduct of the emancipated slaves all that 
is praiseworthy beyond all his former ardent expectations ; 
and to the Christian it will afford a rich feast of joy 
whenever he thinks on the subject." 

The work was published at an opportune moment. The 
first steps of freedom had been safely taken. The people, 
the planters, and the churches were yet untried by the 
painful and unforeseen events which tested to the utter- 
most the faith and hope of the friends of the Negro, and 
gave to the enemies of free labour apparent grounds for 
denying its value and success. For, however advanta* 
geous may have been up to this time the results of free- 
dom to the slave, the years 1842 and 1843 witnessed 
another of the ever-recurring periods of depression in the 
sugar industry of the island. At the request of Mr. 
Clarkson, Mr. Phillippo wrote a paper on the subject. It 
is too long to be given here ; but, in the judgment of Mr. 
Phillippo, the difficulties of estate owners were to be 
traced to the vicious system of management which, pre- 
valent under slavery, was still adhered to ; to the absentee^ 
ism of proprietors ; to the want of capital, and the high 
rate of interest for loans ; to the dishonesty of agents ; to 
effete methods in use in the cultivation and manufacture 
of the sugar ; to the mortgaged condition of the produce ; 
and, in frequent cases, to the unsettled relations between 
the labourer and his employer. 

The tedium of Mr. Phillippo's retirement was further 
relieved by the favourable news he received of the progress 
of his stations. Letters from some of the teachers gave 
him the liveliest joy ; while their assurances of sympathy 
and desire for his return filled him with gratitude. But 
he was more especially pleased by the setting apart of 



2i6 Residence in England. [1^43 

Mr. Alexander Fuller for mission work in Africa, though, 
to his deep regret, his medical advisers refused him per- 
mission to be present at the solemn service. This 
coloured man was a member of his church in Spanish 
Town, and came with him to England. For some months 
Mr. Fuller was placed under the instruction of the Rev. 
Wm. Salter, of Amersham, who bore high testimony 
to his Christian character. His course in Africa was 
short, but his speedy removal has been more than supplied 
by the vigorous and successful career of his son, Mr. 
Joseph Fuller, who as a lad went out to his father in 
the Chilmark with the native band of helpers that Jamaica 
gave to the work of Christ in their fatherland. 

But the father's heart was more deeply touched when his 
beloved daughter, Hannah, whose piety had long been 
manifest, " put on Christ " by a public profession of His 
name in baptism, which was administered by the Rev. 
John Aldis, of Maze Pond. She united in fellowship, 
however, with the church at Brixton Hill. 

The relief afforded to the funds of the Society by the 
cessation of drafts from Jamaica, and the noble and 
generous response made by the denomination to the 
appeal for contributions that should be worthily com- 
memorative of the fiftieth year of the Society's labours, 
enabled the Committee to hasten its measures for the 
achievement of the plans contemplated in raising the 
Jubilee Fund. These embraced not only the relief of the 
Society from its indebtedness, and the erection of a 
Mission House in London that should become the centre 
of denominational activity, but also the establishment of 
the proposed mission on the West Coast of Africa and 
the extension of the mission to other islands of the West 
Indies. The Rev. John Clarke and Dr. Prince, both of 
the Jamaica Mission, had pioneered the way in Africa. 
The Committee now turned to Mr. Phillippo to assist 



1843] Residence in England, 217 

them in their plans for the West Indies. He was invited 
to spend some months among the Windward Islands, to 
report fully their condition, and to inquire as to the 
prospects they held out for evangelistic effort An 
incidental advantage would be a further period of relaxa- 
tion, during which Mr. Phillippo's health might become 
thoroughly restored. 

Famished with the requisite instructions, Mr. Phillippo 
set sail for the West Indies in the mail packet on the 
2nd of December, taking with him Mrs. Phillippo, his 
little girl, and his youngest son. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

DEPUTATION TO THE WEST INDIA ISLANDS— 1844. 

Mr. Phillippo found among his fellow-passengers on 
board the Trent the Venerable Archdeacon Trew and 
Mrs. Trew, on their way to the Bahamas, and the Rev. R. 
Young, a Wesleyan minister, and deputation to Jamaica. 
Calling at Madeira, he had an interview with Dr. Kalley, 
then incarcerated in a filthy prison for speaking on reli- 
gious subjects and distributing Testaments and tracts 
among the Portuguese, who desired to hear and know the 
truth from the pure fount of the Word of God. 

At Grenada, he parted from his wife and daughter, who 
went forward to Jamaica, and proceeded, on the 27th of 
December, to Trinidad, which was reached on the evening 
of the same day. From this point the letters and reports 
of Mr. Phillippo contain very copious accounts of his 
inquiries. His reports to the Society have already been 
printed in full, and may be found in the Annual Reports for 
the years 1844 and 1845. It is therefore unnecessary to re- 
produce them here. They were exhaustive and satis- 
factory, and guided the action of the Committee with 
respect to the missions that were afterwards established 
in Trinidad, the Bahamas, and Haiti. It will, however, be 
interesting to extract a few personal notices from the 
copious materials at hand. 

Of the visit to Dr. Kalley*s prison he writes, De- 
cember 23rd : — " I went in company with Dr. Trew and 
Mr. Young. Dr. Kalley was cheerful, but was looking 
with great anxiety for his acquittal and release. Through 



1844] Deputation to the West India Islands. 219 

the kindness of an influential friend or two in the island 
he has been removed from the loathsome eel) to which he 
was condemned, and was occupying two or three com« 
modioos rooms above the prison. He, however, con- 
tinues to distribute tracts ; and visitors of all classes, 
which will appear surprising, are allowed access to him in 
twos and threes at a time. The sympathy of the people 
with him in his persecution is astonishing, and justifies 
the hope that a light is kindled here which the world, the 
Pope, and the devil will not be able to extinguish. Dr. 
Kailej has now been imprisoned for several months for 
his noble testimony to the truth, and, without the exertions 
and prayers of the Christian Church on his behalf, he may 
there remain as many years." 

The approach to Trinidad he thus describes : — " The 
high mountains of Cumana on the South American con- 
tinent on the one side, and the magnificent Gulf of Paria 
like a polished mirror, at the extremity of which stands 
Port of Spain, the capital, were before us. We anchored 
at some distance from the town, from the shallowness of 
the water occasioned by the vast quantities of mud 
brought into the gulf by the waters of the Orinoco. Mr. 
Cowen met me at his gate, and both himself and wife 
received me kindly, and insisted on my remaining with 
them during my stay. I have attended his little place of 
worship two or three times, and have addressed the people, 
about fifty in number, more than once without injury to 
my throat." 

" On New Year's Day I witnessed the gew-gaw exhibi- 
tions at the papal cathedral, when my spirit was really 
stirred within me. I have walked a good deal about the 
town, and, excepting the awful ignorance and superstition 
of the people, am pleased ^ith it, nor do I doubt the suc- 
cess of Protestant missions in the island. 

" On Monday afternoon I went in company with Mr. 



220 Deputation to the West India Islands. \ 1844 

Cowen to a place called Tacarigua, where is a settlement 
of disbanded soldiers of the ist West India Regiment. 
I slept in a hammock for the first time in my life, and 
returned last evening after a fatiguing ride of thirty miles 
on horseback/* 

" If you look at the map of Trinidad you will see a 
place marked on it, 'Mission — Savanna -la -Grande.' 
Here I have been several days among the native Indians 
and American settlements of disbanded soldiers. While 
in the neighbourhood I visited the mud volcano, and have 
taken a rough sketch of the place, which I shall want my 
dear Hannah to fill up and complete for me under my 
direction." 

A lively description of this natural curiosity is con 
tained in a letter to his two boys : — *' The people call the 
mud volcano— for what reason I could not ascertain — 
' The Devil's Woodyard.' It lay in the midst of an im 
mense forest of palm and other trees, which was so dark, 
and at the same time so dangerous from the badness of the 
roads and the immense creepers, which like ropes of all 
dimensions threw themselves from tree to tree across the 
path, that I began almost to despair of reaching the place. 
I came suddenly upon it. The top of the crater formed 
a circle of about a hundred yards in diameter. The sur- 
face was flat, with a number of mounds scattered over it 
from two to four feet in height, much like a cone flattened 
at the top. About every ten minutes one or two of them 
threw up a quantity of soft mud of a sulphurous smell. 
Within the crater scarcely any shrub was known to grow, 
but outside its limits magnificent trees and stately palms 
formed a most splendid amphitheatre. I left the neigh- 
bourhood with regret, because the people seemed anxious 
to hear the Gospel." 

In another letter he continues the journal of his visit : — 

"The minister of the Scotch church here [Port of 



1844] Deputation to the West India Islands, 221 

Spain] is exceedingly friendly, and is anxious for a whole 
batch of Baptists to come from Jamaica. I have spoken 
occasionally at the different meetings I have attended, and 
last Sabbath evening I preached for the Presbyterian 
minister, at his earnest request I am not the worse for 
it by any means, but I will still be careful. Many very 
respectable people were present, anxious to hear the 
Baptist Bishop, as I am called. I have been strongly 
urged to deliver a lecture or two on Jamaica, or to speak 
at a public meeting, but I have steadily declined. I have 
been collecting some seeds of different plants, which I 
hope to forward to you before I see you.'' 

From Trinidad Mr. Phillippo proceeded to St. Vincent, 
" where," he says, " I met with a considerable number of 
black American Baptists, or rather from New Providence, 
in the Bahamas. They said they had been praying for 
years for a Baptist missionary to be sent among them. 
They were brought here by a Colonel Brown. There 
were originally about three hundred of them, but are 
now reduced to one hundred and twenty. They are still 
residing on their old master's estate. I held a very inter- 
esting service among them, and promised to intercede for 
them with the Committee. I had also repeated interviews 
with some Caribs descended from the original inhabitants 
of the island. I also visited the volcano, and stayed for 
this purpose two or three days under the hospitable roof 
of the Rev. Mr. Moister, Wesleyan minister. I had a 
very pleasant tour of the island, and it was also successful 
as far as my object was concerned. I was very much 
pleased with St. Vincent. It is more beautiful (not 
magnificent) than any of the islands I have previously 
seen. I shall write to urge the Committee to send out 
one or two missionaries without delay." 

The next visit was paid to St Lucia. " I embarked for 
St Lucia on the afternoon of the 5 th of February, in a 



222 Deputation to the West India Islands, [1844 

small sloop passing along the eastern side of St. Vincent, 
and the still more enchanting scenery presented by the 
western shore of the former island. The lofty mountains 
of St. Lucia, covered with majestic forests, their spiral 
tops appearing above the stratum of clouds that rolled 
their dense masses along their precipitous sides ; its gentle 
undulations and spacious valleys clothed with the vivid 
green of the sugar-cane, contrasting beautifully with the 
dark purple of the surrounding heights ; and its steep and 
hoary cliffs, ascending abruptly from the sea, presented a 
picture which, indisposed as I was, could not fail to attract 
my attention and fascinate my eye. I landed about nine 
o'clock in the evening at a small town called Sauffrere, 
passing between the celebrated Pilons, the magnificent 
spiral mountains which rise like pyramids out of the sea 
at the entrance of the bay, and which, but a few hours 
before, were spanned to the very bosom of the dark blue 
waters with a rainbow of the most perfect form, and of 
the most splendid colours, I had ever seen. Next day I 
proceeded in a passage boat to Castries, the capital, about 
twenty miles distant, situated on the western side of the 
island. 

" Here I was most kindly entertained for several days 
by the Hon. W. Muter, one of my fellow-passengers on 
board the Trent^ during which I called on the Governor, 
a pious, excellent man, whose wife had been the widow of 
a Congregational missionary in India. On breakfasting 
with them one or two mornings, in company with the 
rector, the only Episcopal or other Protestant minister in 
the island, I was requested to conduct family worship. 
Government House is beautifully situated on a hill called 
the Morne, from which not only the town of Castries, but 
also Martinique and another island or two, are distinctly 
visible, presenting a scene to which no description can 
do justice. Mr, Muter took me to see two or three of his 



1844} Deputation to the West India Islands, 223 

estates, and also to different parts of the island. He 
lamented that, with one or two recent exceptions, no 
attempt had been made to establish even a school in the 
colony. Mr. Muter had imported several mechanics 
from Scotland, and settled them on his properties in 
comfort ; and had several young men, also from Europe, 
in his mercantile establishments. The result of my 
inquiries was this : There could hardly be found an island 
in these seas in greater spiritual need* or one in which 
there was a greater prospect of success. I gave in my 
report to Fen Court accordingly." 

He left St. Lucia by the mail steamer, and reached 
Dominica on the i xth of February. Here he stayed eight 
days. He found a home in the hospitable residence of 
Mr. Gordon, the superintendent of the schools sustained 
by the Mico Charity. "There is," he says, " a good 
opening in this island for a missionary or two ; but they 
would have very hard work, with little encouragement, for 
several years, all the people being Roman Catholics and 
speaking the French language." 

Among other curious places, he visited the '' Sauffrure,'* 
or Sulphur Hill. *' I walked over a mountain of burning 
sulphur, which is supposed to be perfectly hollow beneath. 
Water was bubbling up in various spots, and flowing in 
streams hot enough to boil in a few minutes almost any 
article of food. Sometimes we were completely enveloped 
in clouds of vapour that proceeded from the boiling 
fountains. In the town, the fumes of sulphur are some-, 
times so strong as to render the place almost uninhabitable. 
This excites considerable alarm, as it is caused by the 
extension of the boiling streams of a souifrure to the 
westward arising from subterranean action. Almost 
eveiything is turned black in the houses, and it is scarcely 
possible to keep anything clean. On this account, the 
inhabitants of the difl'erent islands are very much afraid of 



224 Deputation to the West India Islands. [1844 

an explosion, but the Dominicans are perfectly uncon- 
cerned respecting it." In a letter home he reports :— 

*• 1 am, blessed be God, quite well in health, but very, very 
anxious to be with my dear wife and family. When once 
I find myself on the way from Grenada to Haiti, I shall 
be half at home. Be sure you take care of yourself. I 
can scarcely trust myself to think of the happiness I shall 
enjoy on finding myself once more in possession of my 
happy home, and in the presence of her who makes it so. 
My voice is very much improved, for I am very careful. 
I have but little time for writing, so that you must beg 
my brethren, Dowson and Lynch, as well as my dear 
people, to excuse my apparent neglect of them. Soon I 
hope to see them, and then I will try and make amends for 
all neglect. Cease not to pray for my health and success 
and safe return, and beg an interest in the supplications of 
all my friends for the same end.'* 

Mr. Phillippo reached Jacmel, in the Island of Haiti, on 
the 15th of March, but, on landing, he found the inhabit- 
ants in a state of great excitement from an apprehension of 
war between the French and Spanish portions of the 
island. A strong detachment of militia had just left for 
Port au Prince, and upwards of five hundred refugees had 
come into Jacmel from the disturbed districts. The in- 
surrection was reported as everywhere prevalent. Acting 
under the advice of the authorities, he thought it best to 
postpone his investigations to a later period, and accord* 
ingly returned on board the steamer to proceed to Jamaica, 
where he landed on the 20th. 

Writing to Dr. Angus on the ist of April he says, in 
closing the account of his deputation : ** I arrived here a 
few days ago amidst the almost overwhelming gratulations 
of my beloved people, and had the happiness to find my 
dear wife and family well in health. Nor was I less d^ 
lighted, nor, I trust, less thankful to God, for the state 



1844] Deputation to the West India Islands, 225 

and circumstances in which I found my church and dif- 
ferent congregations throughout the district. My highly 
esteemed brethren, Dowson and Lynch, to whose over- 
sight my stations were committed, have done their utmost 
to promote their interests, and, although I am aware it is 
God's blessing alone that renders human instrumentality 
successful, yet I feel that I should be chargeable with a 
want of affection for my flock and of proper concern for 
the Divine glory were I not to express to you the deep 
obligations of gratitude under which I feel myself laid to 
them.'' 

Thus, after an absence of nearly two years, with health 
very much improved, having fulfilled with great ability 
and success the commission entrusted to him by the 
Society, and restored to the home in which his affections 
enjoyed unalloyed happiness, Mr. Phillippo resumed his 
labours as a missionary, only too soon to enter on a 
period, prolonged through seven years, of constant anxiety 
and distress. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE LAW SUIT— 1844 TO 1851. 

The amicable arrangements made by Mr. Phillippo with 
his two assistants were soon interrupted by the departure 
of Mr. Dowson for England on a matter of private 
interest; and not till his return, six months after, in 
the month of November, did Mr. Phillippo become 
aware of a change in the feelings of that gentleman 
towards him. Till now, the most entire confidence 
had subsisted between them. During Mr. Phillippo's 
stay in England, he had received from Mr. Dowson and 
from the churches many letters ** of kindness and affec- 
tionate gratitude, such as perhaps few ministers could 
produce, and which were most creditable to himself 
and them."* On Mr. Phillippo's arrival in Jamaica, he 
was welcomed with every show of cordiality, and the 
resumption of his work as pastor was in every way 
facilitated by Mr. Dowson. No change was thought 
of, or spoken about as desirable, in the relative positions 
they had hitherto occupied. Mr. Dowson had scarcely 
settled down on his return before he put forth the claim 
of being the pastor of the church in Spanish Town. 
Efforts were made to alienate the affections of the 
people from Mr. Phillippo, and Mr. Dowson unhappily 
succeeded in gathering round him a band of sympathisers 

* These words iu'e those of the Vice-ChanceIl(M'*s judgment. 



1845] The Law SuiL 227 

who demanded possession of the chapel. To give colour 
to these proceedings, a meeting of the seceders, increased 
in number by the most unjustifiable extension of the rights 
of membership to others, was held in a booth that had 
been hastily constructed, at which Mr. Phillippo was 
deposed from the pastorate, and Mr. Dowson was elected 
in his room. One of the two trustees remaining in the 
island, without reference to his co-trustees in England, 
next created a new trust-deed, on the faith of which 
turbulent, and even violent, attempts were repeatedly 
made to obtain possession of the mission premises by 
excited mobs. Legal proceedings were therefore neces- 
sarily resorted to by Mr. Phillippo for the protection of 
the property, and the securing of the position he had 
for more than twenty years sustained. 

It is unnecessary, as it is also undesirable, to enter into 
the details of the protracted litigation which ensued. 
In the course of the conflict, Mr. Phillippo's character 
was unsparingly assailed by portions of the press, as well 
as by his adversaries, in order to induce him to quit the 
island in disgust. His advocacy of the cause of the slave 
and his exertions to obtain emancipation were now re- 
membered against him, and the occasion seized to his 
injury by those whose hostility his benevolent action 
had aroused. But the warm and cordial support of his 
brethren was not wanting to him; with two or three 
exceptions, they and their congregations came to his 
aid. But especially did he find the most generous 
sympathy in the unfailing regard of his friend Joseph 
Fletcher, Esq., and in the aid rendered by an English 
Committee, of which Mr. Fletcher was treasurer. The 
suit brought into view most of the leading ecclesiastical 
principles of Baptist churches, and had the effect of 
placing on a foundation of colonial practice and law 
the legal rights of Baptist congregations. It made 

Q 2 



2 28 The Law Suit, [1850 

clear the meaning and extent of the independence 
assumed by the churches and their pastors, for it was 
held, as expressed in a letter from the Rev. J. Angus, 
the Secretary, addressed to Mr. Phillippo on the 4th of 
June, 1845, that, "the Committee having given up 
mission work in Jamaica, there is no propriety in their 
interfering at all in points in dispute between churches 
and ministers." An unfortunate intermediate judgment 
of the Vice-Chancellor, at an early stage of the suit, 
greatly contributed to delay its decision for nearly six 
years, but the courage and persistence of Mr. Phillippo 
in the maintenance of his just rights were at length 
rewarded by complete success. The cost was great. 
His pecuniary resources were crippled by the secession 
of so many members of his congregation, as well as 
by the general depression which had set in in the 
agricultural and commercial condition of the island. 
The heavy expenses of the suit, though largely met by 
generous friends in England, pressed most heavily on 
his congregation, and entailed personal distresses and 
sacrifices scarcely to be borne; still the weary months 
and years, incessantly occupied with research, with the 
collection of evidence, with the copying of innumerable 
documents, and with consultations with his legal advisers, 
came to a close. 

On the 4th of November, 1850, the suit reached its 
end, when the judgment was given in the High Court of 
Chancery of the island by the Vice-Chancellor. "To 
describe the feelings," says Mr. Phillippo, "excited 
thereby in my own mind, and in the minds of others most 
interested in the successful result, would be impossible. 
It was the Lord's doing. No wisdom or power but His 
could have prevailed against the wicked and powerful 
conspiracy that was formed against the cause of truth 
and righteousness. The congratulations of friends were 



1851] The Law Suit, 229 

warm and flattering to a degree that could not fail to 
excite the sincerest expressions of esteem and gratitude, 
such that I doubt not I shall carry with me to my grave. 
Friends in need ! Among those in this country who 
encouraged and applauded my resolution, though un- 
ostentatiously, to abide the issue were persons of 
property and influence, as well as nine-tenths of the 
class to whom the anarchists belonged.*' But although 
sustained by the sympathies and generous aid of many 
friends, both in Jamaica and England, Mr. Phillippo felt 
most acutely the defection of a few brethren from his side, 
some of whom appear to have thought all law-suits ille- 
. gitimate in a Christian missionary. It was therefore a 
source of intense gratification to him to receive the 
unanimous congratulations of the Committee of the Mis- 
sionary Society, and their recommendation to the friends 
of the Society to assist him in the disbursement of 
the costs. In publishing this resolution, the circular, 
signed by the Rev. J. Aldis, says : '' It is matter of devout 
thanksgiving that the oldest missionary in Jamaica has 
thus been sustained in his important position, and that 
property which cost /^ 10,000 has been rescued from law- 
less misappropriation. It is yet more important that 
this esteemed servant of God has been enabled to pass 
through a severe trial with honour to himself and the 
missionary cause, while the interests of the Jamaica 
churches have been greatly promoted.''* 

The decision of the Vice-Chancellor was not, however, 
immediately followed by security. Two more riotous 
attempts were made by the defeated party to obtain 
possession of the mission property, the last of which 

^— ^— ,- -, ■ - ■ -1,1 B I — -I 

^ The funds collected by this Committee were chiefly expended on 
the repairs of the mission premises. The costs of the suit were almost 
wholly borne by Mr. Fletcher. 



230 The Law Suit. [1851 

for some hours threatened the lives of Mr. and Mrs. 
Phillippo and their daughter, with those of the missionary 
brethren Teall and Hewett, who happened to be staying 
with them. Much damage was done, both to the chapel 
and the mission-house, but the administrators of the law 
at length secured a peaceable termination to the strife. 
Mr. Phillippo and his people, by the close of the year 
1 85 1, were able to worship in peace, and to resume those 
ministries of grace and truth which these lamentable events 
had so long interrupted. 

There can be no doubt that the painful incidents of 
this conflict greatly affected Mr. Phillippo*s judgment 
of the Negro character. The bright side had ever pre- 
sented itself to him in the early years of his missionary 
life. He had hitherto known the people as remarkably 
accessible to kindness, and to the influence of those who 
had sought their freedom and the advancement of their 
highest interests. He had seen them as peculiarly im- 
pressionable to Divine teaching, docile to those in 
authority, and grateful for sympathy under their op- 
pressions. But now he had to learn that slavery could 
not be abolished without leaving behind a legacy of 
evil, and that its mischievous effects were not to be at 
once removed by the righteous act of emancipation. He 
had with grief to discover that even liberty could not 
by a breath of sweetness melt away the uncorrected 
tendencies of barbarism and savage life, or remove 
habits peculiar to the *' vile institution " of slavery. The 
saying of the old Greek poet seemed on the eve of 
verification in the face of Christian hope itself. " Half 
our virtue," says Homer, *• is torn away when a man 
becomes a slave, and the other half goes when he becomes 
a slave let loose." To use Mr. Phillippo*s own words, 
he was compelled to recognise with the bitterness of 
disappointed feeling " a state of society for which he 



1851] The Law Suit. 231 

was not prepared. The people," he continues, " have 
not spirit to straggle against poverty; too many give 
themselves up to abject melancholy. They are subject to 
extremes of joy and sorrow, as well as to love or hatred ; 
of strong, ardent, and impetuous feelings and passions, 
they can do little except under excitement. Ardent for 
a time in what they undertake from benevolent motives, 
they as quickly cool. It is hard work to keep them to 
duty even when voluntarily undertaken.'* He speaks of 
the change in some as " awful ; " the worst passions of 
half-civilised men were let loose, and the town itself for 
a time was given over to anarchy and sin. The change 
in the condition of the people appeared to be for the 
worse, and not for the better. The want of employment, 
the absence of all provision for helpless poverty, the dense 
ij^norance which the Legislature made no real effort to 
remove, the cruel banishment of the peasantry by many 
of the estate owners and managers from the little holdings 
and cottages in which they had been bom and bred, 
provided an abundant field for the operations of evil- 
minded men. 

The ten years from 1842 to 1851 was a period of in- 
tense anxiety, suffering, and trial to every interest in the 
island. The wonder ts that, with a hostile Legislature, a 
feeble Executive, and every class of the community de- 
pressed by the decay of cultivation and decimated by the 
fatal pestilence which swept through the island in 1850, 
emancipation did not become a disastrous failure. To one 
who had laboured as Mr. Phillippo had done, the dis- 
appointment of so many bright hopes was great. If the 
people were free, it was also evident that long years of 
patient labour were yet needed to bring to maturity the 
seeds of truth and righteousness, purity and order, which 
it bad been his aim and that of many other benevolent 
men to sow. 



232 The Law Suit, [1846 

This biography would not be a faithful picture of Mr- 
Phillippo*8 life were it to pass over the severe spiritual 
struggles to which these events gave rise. Although of a 
happy and sanguine disposition, there were moments when 
his faith and hope in God were well-nigh gone. It may 
not be that the veil should be entirely drawn aside from 
those scenes of dark trial and conflict through which he 
was called to pass ; yet a few passages may be culled 
from his diary which will sufficiently indicate his mental 
sufferings. At first, when the hope of a speedy settlement 
of the affair was in prospect, he bore the trial with equa- 
nimity and fortitude, so that he could say, *' Blessed be 
God, I have a consciousness of having done everything 
for the best, for the promotion of God's glory, and the 
good of the Church. Therefore I enjoy peace of mind." 
But as the evil days came more thickly, and unfolded 
their dark burden of sorrow and anxiety, the shadows 
deepened over his spirit. At the dawn of day his mind 
would be hopeful. *'Calm and composed," he says; 
'* scarcely ever more so since these troubles commenced. 
Communed with my own heart upon my bed, and was 
still. It seemed as though I was sure God would not 
allow the enemies of His truth to gain their object. I 
therefore felt myself strong in the Lord, and in the 
power of His might." But the shades of evening would 
bring a different phase of feeling. " May God mercifully 
deliver us from our long and distressing troubles, and 
grant us again peace and prosperity! O Lord, sup- 
port and strengthen me in this arduous conflict, if Thou 
shouldst not see fit yet to deliver me from it. My heart 
is lifted up to Thee. Leave not my soul desolate 1 *' But 
this was in an early stage of his troubles. A little later 
he writes (October i8, 1846): '*! lay awake long before 
day, under a very heavy depression of mind. My way 
appeared more hedged up than ever. A hundred fears 



1847] The Law Suit, 233 

took hold upon me. My heart fainted within me, and 
oat of the depths I cried unto the Lord, though with a 
mixture of dissatisfaction, unbelief, and confidence. I 
was, however, enabled to say, * Mine eyes are ever toward 
the Lord, for He shall pluck my feet out of the net. Turn 
Thou unto me, and have mercy upon me, for I am deso- 
late and afflicted.' " Then, in a day or two, he comforts 
himself by the example of Henry Martyn, whose memoir 
he was reading. " What contempt and scorn had he to 
endure at Shiraz 1 And how meekly did he bear it all 
for Christ. May I feel and say as he did : — 

* If on my name, for Thy dear sake, 

Shame and reproaches be ; 
All hail reproach, and welcome shame. 

If Thou remember me ! * " 

More especially does he feel the depressing influence of 
his circumstances when, on a Lord's-day morning, he has 
to meet, in the school-rooms, the large congregation 
which still attended his ministry. '* June 27, 1847. Sab- 
bath morning. — My mind still oppressed with care and 
apprehension as to the future, but had, as usual, recourse 
to God in prayer. Poured out my heart before Him. Qh 1 
how mysterious His providences are respecting me. 
Darkness still besets me round. Preached in the even- 
ing ; my mind very gloomy. Felt little unction throughout 
the whole service. What happy seasons I once enjoyed ! 
How sweet their memory still ! O Lord, I am oppressed ; 
undertake for me.'* And a day or two later he exclaims : 
" Show me, O Lord, wherefore Thou contendest with me, 
and hidest Thy face from me. O Lord, Thou hast been 
my helper; leave me not, neither do Thou forsake me, 
O God of my salvation ! I have acted, as I hope, for Thy 
glory and the good of Thy Church. Be not, therefore, 
far from me. Let not my enemies triumph over me." Not 
always, however, was he thus cast down. Some act of 



234 The Law SuiL [•^'49 

kindness from his people, some hopeful incident in the 
progress of the trial, or a few bright words from his cor- 
respondents at home would induce a more cheerful tone. 
Thus, under date of Februar7 26, he writes : " My mind 
was disquieted yesterday by some gloomy apprehensions ; 
but I am thankful to say they have not been realised. It 
is true I knew not what awaited me, but I knew what- 
ever befell me depended on the government of an infi- 
nitely wise and gracious God. I know the love He bears 
me. I am comforted by His mercy. Were I to doubt 
of the gracious providence of my God, all my past days 
would witness against me and reprove my folly, distrust, 
and ingratitude. All nature would make me ashamed. 
Every bird, every insect, would reprove my unbelief, and 
heaven and earth would appear against me as witnesses 
of Providence. Almighty Ruler of the world, my God and 
Father, I will not dishonour Thee by my anxious cares. 
I will commit them all to Thee. As a child, with tender 
love I will look up to Thee, and with joyful confidence 
expect from Thee every good." 

Thus was Mr. Phillippo led into deeper acquaintance 
with his own heart's necessities, and to cry earnestly to 
God for more growth in grace and holiness. "I am 
dissatisfied," he says, on the 13th of March, ''with my 
want of faith, and zeal, and holy love ; with my 
frequent impatience under my trials. Oh, that it were 
otherwise ! that I could bear, not with patience only, 
but with pleasure, what my heavenly Father has 
appointed me to bear; the same when concealed from 
public observation as when exposed to the gaze of 
multitudes ; that I may be a priest who presents 
himself a living sacrifice to God ; that I may feel the 
sanctity and height of my calling ; that my sympathies 
may be more tender, my zeal more fervent, glowing, and 
energetic. May I make the Lord's own words in some 



1 851] The Law Suit, 235 

measure the motto of my life : ' I must work the works of 
Him that sent Me while it is day, for the night cometh.' " 
One more extract will suffice to reflect the changeful 
experience of these days so burdened with anxiety and 
care. " My mind is greatly depressed, and it doubtless 
gives its tinge to my communications home, I felt sad, 
and at times almost in despair. I tried to pray, but could 
not. Language failed me* I could only sigh out my 
feelings, and thus relieve my oppressed heart. And this 
oppression clung to me, diverted for a time by occupation, 
but recurring as soon as thought was no longer absorbed 
by a different subject of interest. I turned to the 46th 
Psalm, to Luther's Psalm, and read over the experience of 
David. My mind became more calm, more disposed to 
trust. *God is my refuge and strength, a vety present 
help in trouble.* 

* O Thou, who driest the mourner's tear, 
How dark this world would be 
If, when deceived and wounded here, 
We could not fly to Thee ! 

« # « * « 

' Oh ! who could bear life's stormy doom, 
Did not Thy wing of love 
Come brightly wafUng through the gloom, 
Our peace-branch from above ? "* 

Looking back over this troublous period, he could at 
last joyfully recognise the gracious leadings of the Divine 
hand in it all. At the close of the year 1851 he writes : 
''At its opening my cup was full of bitterness and my 
prospects were gloomy in the extreme. How different 
now I This is the Lord's doing ; it is marvellous in ray 
eyes.'* The chapel had been restored, though in a 
damaged state, to his possession. Larger congregations 
than ever hung upon his lips, and with a sanctified feeling 
of joy and desire he concludes the diary of the year: 



236 The Law Suit. [1851 

*' Here I raise my Ebenezer. Bless the Lord, O mj soul, 
and forget not all His benefits. Oh, that I had more 
reverence for God, more of a sense of His presence and 
superintendence, more of trust in Providence, more of sab- 
mission to His will, more of consciousness that He doeth 
all things well ! " 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

STATE OF THE MISSION— 1844 TO 1848. 

Thk events narrated in the preceding chapter interfered 
to a painful degree with the evangelistic labours of Mr. 
Phillippo. For a large part of the time, his Spanish Town 
congregation could only meet in the school-rooms, which, 
^PPi'y» being large, would hold from twelve to fifteen 
hundred worshippers. But his ministry was not without 
many gratifying evidences of the attachment of his people ; 
and he thankfully records that many Sabbaths were marked 
by the Divine presence and blessing. Thus, on April 12th, 
1846, he writes : '' Sabbath Day. Early prayer-meeting. 
Well attended. Sabbath-school also. At half-past ten, 
chapel literally crowded ; persons coming from all parts 
of the country in carts, on horseback, &c. Not fewer than 
thirty horses in the burial ground and yard, besides those 
left in other and different parts of the town. Preached 
from Mark xiii. 12, 13, 14. Felt very much at liberty, 
and people seemed greatly interested. Administered the 
Lord's Supper. About one thousand partook of it ; a very 
interesting service, the most so I have experienced for 
many months* People full of animation. Refreshed 
myself and attended a church-meeting. Preached in 
evening. A large congregation also." Again, on the 7th 
of June, he writes : " Rose before daylight. At six o'clock 
went to prayer-meeting. Held conversation with several 
of the country people for nearly an hour. Numbers of 
people pouring into the school-room from all quarters ; 



238 State of ihi Mission. L'^4^ 

some coining on horseback, some in carts, &c. Preached 
from Gen. zxviii. 22 : 'And the stone which I have set 
for a pillar/ &c. Felt aroased and animated by the con- 
gregation, so large and so attentive, that I preached with 
great flaency and comfort, and I hope not without benefit 
to my audience. They literally seemed to hang upon my 
lips, and by their looks and gestures appeared ready to 
lay down their lives for me. That they have borne so 
much obloquy with so much Christian fortitude and 
forbearance, as well as made so many sacrifices, is 
sufficient to redeem the black and coloured people as 
a mass from the imputations with which they are 
charged in consequence of the conduct of some towards 
me. On the dispersion of the multitude, which filled the 
whole three apartments of the school-house, it seemed 
immense, crowding the streets in all directions." 

These scenes were more especially seen on the days 
devoted to the administration of the Lord's Supper. 
Nevertheless, at other times, and even when the prospect 
of success in the suit was problematical, the congrega- 
tions were large. Amid the deepening distress of the 
people he c6ntinued to receive manifold proofs of 
personal affection and regard. So that, writing on the 
1 8th of October, 1 848, he could say that, while accounts 
from all the West India Islands spoke of ever-increasing 
depression, and which were fully corroborated by his 
brethren in Jamaica, yet, " however torn and embarrassed 
the church at Spanish Town has been, it appears to be as 
truly prosperous in all respects as any one in the island." If 
this was the case during the dark time of trouble, it may 
readily be conceived with what joy the pastor and his 
people re-entered their disused sanctuary on the execu- 
tion of the Vice-Chancellor's decree. This longed-for 
event took place on the 7th of February, 1851. Writing 
on March 4th, Mr Phillippo says : "After the customary 



1851] State of the Mission. 239 

morning meeting, the chapel doors were thrown open. 
A very large congregation assembled at half-past ten 
o*clock. The preliminary part of the service was con- 
ducted by brother Teall, and I preached from 2 Cor. 
viii. 5, The afternoon was devoted to the interests of 
the Sunday-school. We closed the day with gratefal 
thanksgiving to God for our success. Great, indeed, it 
was ! I cannot doubt that it was gained by the inter- 
position of God. ' Not unto me, not unto me, O Lord, 
but unto Thy name be all the glory ! ' " Similar blessings 
were enjoyed on the following Lord's-day. " My mind 
and the minds of all my people overflowed with gratitude 
to God in the belief that our deliverance was complete. 
I preached from i John iv. 10: 'Herein is love,' &c., 
and felt great pleasure and more at liberty than for some 
time past in the delivery of my message." One more 
extract from his diary will show the joy and comfort with 
which the resumption of his work in the sanctuary that he 
had built filled his heart. " April 20, 1851. — Easter Sun- 
day. Expected a large congregation this day, and was 
not disappointed. The early prayer- meeting was well 
attended, and before ten o'clock the people came in 
streams from every quarter, so that the attendance was 
greatly increased. A larger number of children were also 
present at the Sabbath-school. I visited it between the 
morning services, and was highly gratified. Especially 
was I delighted to see the long line of them, attended by 
their teachers, going from the school to the chapel. It 
called forth the recollections of long past times. The school 
bell rang merrily in my ears, and told of our being active and 
vigorous again. I looked to see the children pass along, 
until tears of thankfulness and pleasure filled my eyes. The 
Lord has done great things for us, whereof we are glad." 

Besides the services in Spanish Town, Mr. Phillippo 
visited, at more or less regular intervals, the stations at 



240 State of the Mission. [1848 

Sligoville and Passage Fort. Sligoville had fallen much 
into decay during the years of trouble from his inability 
to supply its wants. But as he now frequently occupied a 
small farm residence in the neighbourhood he was able to 
give more time ^ to its interests, and was rewarded by wit- 
nessing a revival of its temporal and spiritual prosperity. 

Passage Fort enjoyed throughout a fair measure of pros- 
perity, and he of^en mentions large congregations, interest- 
ing Sabbaths, social gatherings of his flock, and baptismal 
times as giving him unalloyed pleasure and satisfaction. 

The incessant demands of the law suit on his attention, 
the labours incident to the stations, and his pastoral visita- 
tion of the sick and aged left Mr. Phillippo little time to 
devote to the extension of the Gospel in the surrounding 
districts. Still he often shared with his ministerial 
brethren the more general engagements which the welfare 
of the mission throughout the island required. Thus the 
I St of February, 1848, he is met with at the meeting of 
the Association as chairman, when numerous questions 
relating to the state of the mission were discussed. Later 
in the year he is at Calabar, taking part in the annual 
examination of the students, then under the care of the 
Rev. J. Tinson. At another time he visits Vale Lionel to 
assist in the formation of a new church. 

These excursions were a- great refreshment to his spirit. 
Always fond of scenery, he delighted in the mingled 
grandeur and beauty of the mountains and deep valleys of 
Jamaica among which he journeyed. Grorgeous visions of 
colour and celestial softness would alternate with tempest 
and storm, the echoes of the rocks being awakened with 
appalling sounds by the terrific thunder that accompanied 
them. A few extracts from his diary will express the 
enjo3rment he derived from these scenes, and also illus- 
trate his powers of description. This from his mountain 
home. February 18, 1848— •* Two showers of rain fell 



1 8+8] State of the Mission, 241 

during the middle of the day. The black, lowering clouds 
to the north-east and south indicated an abundant fall, but 
it fell on the plains embracing Kingston, Spanish Town, 
Old Harbour, and Milk River. In my rambles I was 
struck with the beautiful appearance of the clumps of 
coffee-trees, covered with pearly white blossoms, in fine 
contrast with the deep-green, laurel-like leaves. The littlp 
supply of water that has been received has attracted the 
birds hither from the lowlands. Large flocks of teal flew 
past as I was gazing on the splendid scenery that lay 
before me in the short twilight, with the sound almost of 
a hurricane, produced by the rapid vibration of their 
wings. The moon is at the full, and the evening star 
hangs brilliant on the verge of the western horizon, and 
gives an indescribable charm to the sky. The night is 
bright and clear of clouds, except to the south, and the 
atmosphere is at rest." Rising at sunrise the next day, 
he says, " I took a long walk, gun in hand, hoping to 
meet with some birds that would supply the morning 
meal. Heard for the first time for some weeks the cooing 
of the wild dove, but saw nothing except the loggerhead. 
The woodpecker was tapping at the trees like a ship*s 
carpenter; the ground dove, the beautiful green todie 
{Jodus vin'dis), the nightingale, and the humming-birds, 
which are very numerous, were gambolling on every side 
in the dewy freshness of the morning. The dew was 
abundant, dripping like rain from the trees, and sparkling 
in the morning sun like globules of crystal. The forests 
were tinged with the rays of the luminary of day, a still- 
ness reigned that might be felt, and colours, like those of 
an English forest in autumn, gave an entrancing interest 
to the scene, and I could but exclaim — 

• These are Thy glorious works, Parent of good, Almighty : 
Thine this universal frame, thus wondrous fair ; 
Th3rself how wondrous then I ' 

R 



242 State of the Mission. [1850 

It is remarkable that few trees hybemate in the tropics, 
and those that do are the softest and least valuable of 
woods, such as the bombax ceiba, the baobab, the Spanish 
plum, &c. These, and several others of the deciduous 
species, being now leafless, add to the charm of this 
autumnal scene." 

A very different outlook is recorded on the 27th of 
May, 1 850. " A more dreadful night of storm I have never 
known. The rain descended as though the vast floodgates 
of the sky were suddenly opened for the purpose of over- 
whelming us. But the terror inspired came from the 
lightning and thunder. The flashes were incessant during 
the whole night, illuminating the entire hemisphere, and 
in the innermost chambers of the house it streamed over 
myself and family as we lay in bed. I rose to look at it. 
The thunder shook the house, and once or twice it 
literally rocked to and fro like a cradle. Added to this 
war of elements a high wind increasing to a hurricane 
arose, driving the rain into the house and deluging it. 
The streets were filled with water, and for hours were well- 
nigh impassable after the storm had passed away." 

Another brief extract describes a ride between Clark- 
sonville and Brown's Town, in company with his dear 
friend the Rev. John Clark, of the latter place, on the 
I ith of August, 1852. " It was late in the afternoon when 
we started, passing through a more picturesque district 
than I had seen before, as also a more fertile one, although 
the greater number of fine properties along the road were 
abandoned to ruinate. We passed along a splendid ravine, 
at the foot of which rolled a celebrated river that 
loses itself underground, and re-appears after some miles 
as an impetuous torrent. It is reported that, as a gentle- 
man and his servant were once driving rapidly along the 
steep road leading to Clarksonville, the horse dashed 
down the precipice into the river. They were afterwards 



1852] State of the Mission. 243 

_^__^^^^__^^__^___^^^_^_^_^__^^_^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Willi! ^ .^ . 

foanjl at the distance of many miles from the spot, having 
been carried by the torrent along its subterraneous 
coarse. We passed by fiethany Chapel, another of brother 
Clark's stations, and arrived at Brown's Town at dark, 
a journey of fifteen miles." 

One more description of the incidents of tropical life 
may be interesting, " Wednesday, July 7th, 1 85 2. — While 
sitting in my study intent on reading a book that had 
absorbed my interest, I was aroused by a loud shaking of 
the doors and windows ; but thought for the moment it 
might be caused by the carpenters that were at work in 
the house, or by some passing cart or wain, I then felt 
the house rocking, and, rising from my seat, was nearly 
thrown down. I felt an extreme nausea, like that of sea- 
sickness. It continued for a minute or two, and I went 
downstairs. The vibration continued, alarming the whole 
family, the house seeming literally to rise and fall like a 
wave of the sea. It was a shock of earthquake. I went 
afterwards to Passage Fort, and about five o'clock the 
shock was repeated, and I took occasion to refer to it in 
my address." The next day the diary continues : — " The 
earthquake is the subject of universal talk. The Jews, as 
usual, flew to their synagogue, and at other places thanks- 
giving meetings were held. The intervals between the 
shocks, or the few minutes that pass after the first shock 
subsides, are minutes of awful suspense, and sometimes, 
especially in the dead of night, of awful terror. On this 
occasion there were two distinct shocks, passing from 
north to south. The first was a tremulous motion, which 
lasted for some fifteen or sixteen seconds. The second 
was an awful heaving of the earth, like the pitching of a 
ship in a heavy sea, and its duration was about thirty 
seconds. In some houses the chandeliers swung to and 
fro for ten minutes. Pictures were moved on the walls. 
An iron bridge rose and fell so as to appear falling 

R 2 



244 State of the Mission, [1848 

prostrate upon the river. Bells rang, clocks stopped, and 
the water in reservoirs was agitated so much as to over- 
flow the brim. Walls were thrown down, and the inmates 
of some houses were precipitated into the streets.'* 

The general state of the mission during these years 
gave Mr. Phillippo the gravest concern. At the Associa- 
tion that met in the month of February, 1848, at which he 
was called to preside, he records that the gathering 
was one of '* melancholy interest." Many congregations 
were reported to be without pastors. Many missionaries 
had either left, or were on the eve of leaving, the island, 
from the inability of the churches to support them.* 
" After prayer, long and very interesting," he says, " were 
the discussions on the state of churches. Various were 
the causes assigned for their present condition, and as 
various the propositions made for their revival ; but as all 
the other denominations share equally the depression, 
though differing so widely in church government and 
discipline, I was of opinion that what had been said were 
but the adjuncts of some great evil existing which was not 
discovered, an evil by which the Spirit of God had been 
grieved, and which must be found out and renounced 
before He would again return to us." 

There can be little doubt, now, that the chief cause of 
the evils deplored was the general state of poverty, and 
the decay of trade and employment from which every class 
of the population was suffering. Scarcely was the resolu- 
tion of the missionaries to rely on the resources of the 
churches for their support carried into effect, before 
pecuniary difficulties, arising from the distress of the 
people, began to press upon them. To this cause must 



* In bis diaiy at this time, Mr. PhOlippo writes : " About sixteen 
missionaries and schoolmasters have either left Jamaica or are dead 
within the last few years, and some of the brethren on the north side 
of the island are starving 



>» 



1848] State of the Mission. 245 

be added the action of the planters in breaking up the 
villages on their estates, and turning out the occupants 
without any provision for the sick and needy ; difficulties 
arising out of the question of labour; the purchase of 
small properties by the peasantry, which absorbed their 
savings, and taxed their earnings to meet the cost of the 
erection of cottages in the newly founded townships, and 
the clearing of the land. All these things drew largely on 
the. resources of the people, so that contributions to the 
service of Christ began to decline ; besides which, the 
moneys needed for the completion of manses and chapels 
were necessarily devoted to the support of the pastor, so 
that debts were incurred or left to accumulate. A time of 
widespread sickness also set in. The health of many 
brethren needed a change which they were unable to 
secure, while unanticipated emergencies sorely beset the 
ministers of the smaller congregations. Such entries as 
the following again and again recur in Mr. Phillippo*s 
diary. *' What will become of the mission I cannot, nor 
can any one else, conjecture, except that in four or five 
years' time, if vigorous measures are not used, it will 
become a complete wreck. All are dispirited. Several 
&peak of returning to England" (December 30, 1847). 
'* The future is dark and gloomy. The country is 
increasing in poverty, and religious feeling is rapidly 
declining. But the Lord reigneth, therefore will I hope 
in Him" (October 20, 1852). "Many of my brethren 
are even in greater straits than I. Says one in a letter 
written from a bed of sickness, to which both himself and 
his wife, with almost all his family, were then confined, ' We 
have been without money and almost without food, little 
as we have required for our own use ; but what time the 
last fowl was boiled another has come in, and, when the 
last piece of yam has been used, more has come in just as 
it has been wanted. So you see, though we are cast down, 



246 Siaie 0/ the Misswn, ["845 

we are not destroyed, neither have our perplexities driven 
us 'to despair. We shall have a new song put into our 
mouth, even praise unto our God*" (September 23, 
1849). " I am daily becoming convinced that the 
apparent indifference of the people, and the decay of their 
old liberality, are attributable entirely to their poverty " 
(May 19, 1850). 

This state of things could not but awaken the deepest 
anxiety in the minds of the friends of the Mission at 
home. It was absolutely necessary to render some aid 
to the ministers thus struggling with debt, and with per- 
plexities of various kinds springing out of the social 
changes freedom had entailed. The first step was taken 
in 1845, when the Committee of the Society resolved to 
raise a sum of ;^6,ooo* to assist in the liquidation of the 
debts existing on the manses and chapels to the extent of 
/'i 8,000. In the distribution of this fund care was taken, 
by mutual consent, that nothing should be done to inter- 
fere with the independence of the pastors and their 
congregations. With tHt one and only condition the 
money was freely bestowed. 

Important as was the help thus rendered it did not 
touch, except incidentally, the personal circumstances of 
the missionaries. The later months of 1845 and the 
early part of the following year added to their difiSculties, 
and the most pressing representations were sent home of 
the absolute need of further assistance. The general 
condition of the island was worse than ever. The deaths 
of the Revs. W. Knibb and T. Burchell increased the 
gloom, and intensified the forebodings of evil which found 
expression in the letters of the sufferers. In October, 
1 846, the Committee of the Society therefore resolved to 
invite the Revs. Dr. Angus and C. M. Birrell to visit 

* The sum actually contributed reached £6,yx}. 



1 846] Staie of the Mission. 247 

Jamaica ''to confer with the brethren," and to make the 
fullest inquiry into the condition of the mission. For 
their personal relief Sir Morton Peto, one of the Trea- 
surers, most generously placed /^z^ooo at the disposal of 
the deputation. 

It was an important part of the duty of the deputation 
to ascertain whether it was desirable to interfere with the 
state of independence which had been established. Some 
of the missionaries, and Mr. Phillippo was one of them, 
with many friends in England, were inclined to think that 
the absolute freedom of the congregations from home in- 
fluence and control was injurious to them, that they were 
still in an immature state, and too weak in faith and pur- 
pose to be left safely to their own guidance and strength. 
No doubt the trial of the voluntary principle in this case 
was a severe one. It was put to the test under circum- 
stances of the greatest possible difficulty. But, with all 
the facts before them, the deputation were unable to 
counsel a change in the action of the Committee. It was 
held that the Baptist churches in Jamaica were generally 
stronger in number and resources than the majority of 
Baptist churches in England, and that, by co-operation 
and mutual help, they might well sustain the cause of 
Christ in their midst. Only such aid, therefore, should be 
expected from England as might be rendered in cases of 
great and unforeseen emergency. 

Towards the close of 1849 numerous and painful appeals 
were again addressed to the Society 'for relief. The 
necessity was fully acknowledged by the Committee, and 
arrangements were made to give some temporary aid. 
The assistance was, however, rendered from independent 
sources, on the ground that the missionaries themselves 
as well as the Committee felt it to be " most undesirable 
that the Jamaica churches should be thrown into a posi- 
tion of unconditional dependence on the funds of the 



24-^ State of the Mission. [1848 

Baptist Missionary Society." The result has established 
the wisdom of this decision. The churches in Jamaica 
have largely increased in number, and, barring unexpected 
calamities, there seems no reason to doubt that they are 
generally well able to sustain the ordinances of the Gospel 
and the means of grace. 

One of the most urgent of the questions pressed on 
the attention of the deputation was the need of ministers 
to fill the numerous vacancies existing in the pastorate 
of the churches. Immediately after emancipation the 
Society resolved to attempt to raise an indigenous ministry, 
and the Institution at Calabar, near Rio Bueno, was 
formed for the purpose. This object had the wannest 
support from Mr. Phillippo. He never doubted the 
capacity of the Negro to receive and respond to the 
training that might fit him to become a preacher of the 
Gospel and a pastor of souls. The progress at first was 
slow. Few of the emancipated people were found to 
possess even the elementary knowledge requisite to enjoy 
the advantages of the Institution. But Mr. Phillippo 
never lost heart. Thus he says, under date of February 
10, 1848 : "If the cause of missions is to be maintained 
here it must be by the eiforts of native labourers, and how 
great soever the difficulties that may be in the way, and 
however unpromising at present the agents, yet this 
object must be pursued, and the sooner it is begun the 
better. On this account I earnestly hope the Institution 
at Calabar will be maintained." After referring to the 
arrival of the Rev. J. Tinson, the tutor, who had been on 
a visit to England, he says, under date of July nth, 1848: 
'* The Institution is progressing prosperously. This ought 
to be kept up as the only means of preventing, if I may 
say so, the complete extinction of the Baptist cause 
throughout the island, as I am persuaded still that 
scarcely a white minister will be in the island in two or 



1848] State of the Mission, 249 

three jears to come, unless some sympathy and aid are 
experienced from England very shortly." 

It is beyond the scope of this Memoir to narrate the 
measures taken by the Society at various times to main- 
tain a certain number of European ministers in Jamaica. 
It is sufficient to say that Mr. Phillippo's fears have not 
been justified by the events. He lived to see his hope of 
an indigenous ministry amply fulfilled, and a large number 
of Jamaica's own sons are now filling with credit, honour, 
and success the pastorate of many of its numerous con- 
gregations. A large number of schoolmasters have also 
gone forth from the Institution, and obtain their fair 
share of the grants-in-aid by which the Government now 
seeks to render universal the instruction of the children. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

THE STATE OF THE ISLAND— THE CHOLERA— 

1849 TO 185a 

This incessant occupation with the affairs of the Spanish 
Town chapel and church, and the trying condition of the 
mission in which he so largely shared, withdrew Mr. 
Phillippo's attention, to a degree unusaal with him, from 
matters of public interest. So far as the free-trade 
legislation of the English Parliament a^ected the sugar 
cultivation of Jamaica, he sympathised with the planters. 
He believed, beneficial as that legislation might be to 
the general welfare of the empire, that it was fraught 
with destruction to the protected interests of the West 
Indies. In his journeys he could not but notice, with 
regret, estates formerly the scene of a flourishing industry 
abandoned to neglect and decay. Thus he notes in his 
diary on the 29th of June, 1849: ''Since the passing of 
the Emancipation Act, of the 653 sugar estates then under 
cultivation in the island, 140, containing 168,032 acres of 
land, have been abandoned and the works broken up. 
They employed, when in full operation, 22,553 labourers. 
Many of the poor, who from 1839 to 1844 were paid at 
the rate of is. 6d. per day, are now glad of employment 
for sixpence."* On the 8th of December, 1848, he writes: 
" Great complaints exist among all classes of the popula- 
tion as to the pressure of the times. Estates continue to 

* The authority for Mr. Phillippo's statement was a committee of 
the House of Assembly appointed in 1849 to inquire into the extent of 
agricultural distress. The same authority states that, in the same space 
of time, 465 coffee plantations had been abandoned, containing 188,400 
acres of land, and which employed, in 1832, 26,830 labourers. 



1849] The State of the Island. 251 

be thrown out of cultivation, and every day adds to the 
list of those for sale. This has been owing evidently to 
the admission of the produce of slave labour into the 
British market. And yet this policy, which must issue in the 
ruin of the sugar colonies, is persisted in by the present 
Government, and, what is worse than all, it gives a powerful 
impetus to the slave trade." 

Although Mr. Phillippo declined to attend the numerous 
meetings which were held to protest against the removal 
of the duties on sugar, he used what influence he possessed 
to induce his people to be present at them. In the 
following sentences he states in a brief form the reasons 
which actuated him : — '' The fact of the distress of a 
country is not the ruin merely of holders of property. It 
involves the poverty and oppression of the labourer. You 
cannot ruin the former without entailing poverty on the 
latter. In no country can you make men, hitherto 
wealthy, impoverished, without rendering the labourer a 
beggar. This measure [that of 1846] will not only do 
this, but will seriously retard the progress of civilisation 
among the people." His interest in the question arose 
chiefly, if not entirely, from its bearing on the well-being of 
the peasantry. His solicitude was mainly on their account. 

Writing in 1840, Mr. Joseph John Gumey fully antici- 
pated these results from a policy which was then only in 
prospect. " Once equalise the lower duty charged on the 
sugar produced in these islands, the sugars of Jamaica 
will lose their market, the planters will withdraw from the 
production of sugar, the labourer will lose his employ- 
ment and his wages, the merchant and the shop-keeper 
will feel their sources of profit cut ofl*, and the Abolitionist 
will discover with dismay that a fresh impetus of vast 
force is given to slavery and the slave trade." * 

• " A Winter in the West Indies," p. 240. 



252 The State of the Islands [1849 

The first measure in which the principles of free trade 
were applied by Parliament to the sugar-growing colonies 
of Great Britain was passed, under the Government of 
Lord John Russell, in August, 1 846. The object was to 
provide for the immediate redaction and the speedy aboli- 
tion of the heavy differential duties then levied on all foreign 
sugar. A slight reduction had been made in 1844 in 
favour of countries in which slavery did not exist. Full 
effect, however, was not given to the Act of 1 846 till 1 848. 
Then sugar from all countries, whether the product of 
free or slave labour, was admitted into this country at 
equal duties.* This is not the place to discuss the merits 
of the question of free trade as against protection. One 
thing is certain,^ that neither protection nor the enforced 
labour of slaves had ever given prosperity to Jamaica even 
in its palmiest days ; for the records of Parliament are 
crowded with incessant and clamorous appeals from the 
'' ruined interests " of Jamaica for still further privileges. 
The Legislature of Great Britain did, however, attempt to 
lessen to the utmost the injury it was affirmed that free- 
trade legislation would inflict, which, perhaps, was 
inevitable, on the islands of the West.f Among these 
measures must be mentioned the Act that allowed the 
colonies tO admit foreign goods on the same terms as 



• The price of sugar fell from the average of 37s. 3d. per cwt. in 
1846 to 24s. 6d. in the eight following years. — " Slavery and Free* 
dom,*' by Charles Buxton, Esq., M.P., p. 33. For further explanation 
of the causes of the depression in the sugar colonies, reference may be 
made to this excellent paper. 

f « A severe temporary pressure upon all concerned in sugar cul- 
tivation was no doubt to be anticipated while the change of policy was 
in prospect ; but, until it had been accomplished, it was certain that 
society in these colonies could not be placed in a sound and healthy 
condition ; and the longer it was delayed the more painfiil wonld be 
the crisis which must be passed through." — *' The Colonial Policy of 
Lord John Russell's Administration," by Earl Grey, vol. i., p. 60. 



1849] The State of the Island, 253 

British goods. They also benefited by the complete 

repeal of the Navigation Laws. Increased and successful 

efforts were also put forth to suppress the slave trade 

on the coast of Africa. The Government, moreover, 

listened favourably to the schemes of immigration 

urged upon them by the planters, which in some cases 

were scarcely distinguishable from slavery itself. But 

these schemes were condemned by the Anti-slavery 

party in England, and met with strenuous opposition 

from the missionaries, in the interest of the emancipated 

peasantry. "The papers," writes Mr. Phillippo, under 

date of January 29, 1848, "are filled with accounts of 

meetings held to petition the British Government against 

immigration, ;^i 5,000 more of the public money having 

been voted by the Assembly for the purpose. I might 

well have said wasted ; it is worse I The evils of it are 

awful. Of the hundreds, if not thousands, of coolies 

imported, all are dead, or soon will be. ^ow, none but 

Africans are desired — the hapless men who were so long 

calumniated as the most ignorant, depraved, and idle of 

all the human family." And on the 6th of March he 

records the presentation of a petition to the Governor, 

for transmission to the home Government, against the 

system. This he had prepared, and it was adopted at a 

meeting at which he took the chair. 

On the other hand, the Jamaica House of Assembly 
refused to listen to any measures proposed by the home 
Government for the improvement of the condition of the 
people. "The statute-book of the island," says Lord 
Grey, in 1853, "for the last six years presents nearly a 
blank, as regards laws calculated to improve the condition 
of the population and to raise them in the scale of 
civilisation."* In fact, the people were utterly uncared 
for by the ruling power in the Assembly. In the country 



« «i 



The Colonial Policy,'* &c.^ vol. i., p. 173. 



254 X ^^ Siaie of the Island, [1849 

districts they were left to perish miserably for want of 
medical aid. Agricultural as well as other instruction 
was entirely neglected, and every possible measure was 
passed that tended to check the spirit of independence. 
The finances were scandalously mismanaged, and often 
misappropriated. The ordinary supplies were refused, on 
the plea of the necessity of retrenchment, and to force the 
Government to yield to the reckless demands of the 
Assembly. The plans of the Government were thwarted, 
and justice was administered in a grossly partial manner. 
The educational schemes brought forward were so arranged 
as to advance the interests of the Established Church, and 
to throw obstacles in the way of the schools founded by 
the missionary bodies. One of the measures pressed upon 
the Government was an *' Orphan Asylum Bill,'' which, 
though professedly for the benefit of the orphans of those 
who had fallen a prey to the cholera, was so framed as to 
re-introduce the system of predial apprenticeship ; and to 
expose the youth educated in the asylum, and afterwards 
placed under masters, to a modified species of slavery. 
The intention of the Bill was evidently to secure a supply 
of forced agricultural labour. To this measure Mr. 
Phillippo gave the most strenuous opposition. He pre- 
pared memorials to the Governor and the English Legisla- 
ture on behalf of his congregation, and, in an interview 
with the Governor, urged its inexpediency and injustice. 
It met with the opposition of the Nonconformist bodies 
throughout the island, and of the friends of freedom at 
home, and was at length laid aside. Irreparable injury 
was done to the island, and at a time when it needed the 
highest wisdom to meet the new condition that emanci- 
pation had introduced, as well as to improve the position 
of the Negro population, and to prepare them for the 
exercise of that influence and power to which it was 
obvious they must at some time necessarily advance. 



1850] The Cholera. 255 

Early in 1850 Mr. Phillippo, nevertheless, writes: 
" Things are, I hope, a little improving here. A great 
demand is still made for colonial produce in England — 
sugar, coffee, pimento, and logwood ; this latter scarcely 
ever found a better or more remunerative market. An 
impulse is also given to the growth of cotton, which it is 
hoped will in some degree restore prosperity. Among 
other improvements which necessity has induced it is 
pleasing to see the attention now paid to gardening.'' 

The closing months of the year were, however, a period 
of extreme suffering. The cholera swept over the land, 
sparing neither sex nor age. Not less than 20,000 per- 
sons fell before the blast of the pestilence in three months, 
and, before its ravages ceased on the following year, it is 
calculated that at least one-tenth of the population be- 
came its prey. Agricultural operations came to a stand, 
and labour almost entirely ceased. Mr. Phillippo records, 
under date of October nth, that he had just heard of its 
appearance at Kingston. ''I trust,*' he says, *'that it 
will induce greater cleanliness in the towns." On the 
ijih he reports that he was shocked to hear of several 
deaths in Kingston and Port Royal, and that boards of 
health had been formed to encounter the fell disease. On 
the t6th he himself is nominated a member of the board 
appointed for Spanish Town. . With his colleagues, the 
next few days are fully occupied in perambulating every 
street, visiting every court, removing nuisances, and 
making arrangements for an immediate .supply of medi- 
cine. 

The first case was reported on the evening of the 19th, 
and he thus describes the effects of the seizure : — '' The 
agony suffered by the subject of this malignant disease 
was intense. It is indeed the pestilence that walketh in 
darkness, and the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 
It is the most fearful form of disease that ever visited 



25 6 The Cholera. [1850 

man. It is sudden. I thought of the 91st Psalm as an 
antidote against the fear of it, and a precious antidote it 
is." In spite of every precaution the pestilence daily 
multiplied its victims, and heartrending were the scenes 
into which his duties led this fearless servant of Christ. 
Even when there were symptoms of its crossing his own 
threshold, he did not shrink from the post of danger. In 
conjunction with the Vice-Chantellor, to whom, with him- 
self, certain wards of the city were apportioned, he visited 
the sick daily, dispensing medicines, comforting and 
praying with the smitten, and watching their closing 
moments, and often accompanying their remains to the 
tomb. 

One or two extracts from his diary will suffice to bring 
these sorrowful events distinctly before the mind, and 
exhibit the character of Mr. Phillippo at such a time of fear. 
On the 27th of October he writes that, having just returned 
from a funeral, he heard of the seizure of Miss McNeal, 
one of the most pious and interesting young people of his 
church, and of her mother, on their return from chapel 
the previous evening. '* I went almost immediately, and 
found both of them in great agony, but both sensible. 
Eliza knew me, and addressed me. At intervals her coun- 
tenance was benign and heavenly, and she often expressed 
her gratitude to me as the instrument of her salvation. 
She surrendered herself to her Saviour, in body, soul, and 
spirit, in language and with looks and gestures that drew 
tears from all present. From hence I accompanied Dr. 
Morales to the hospital. And what a sight was here! 
Two lying dead, and about sixteen or seventeen more 
rapidly following them. The nurses were once of my 
flock, and so were the people. I asked them if they 
wished me to pray. Several of the dying cried out, almost 
choked with the vehemence with which they uttered the 
words, * Yes, minister, yes ! ' I did so, kneeling on the 



1850] The Cholera. 257 

floor in the middle of the room, the poor creatures lying 
on mats around me. Numbers were attracted from all 
parts of the hospital as soon as I began, and all responded 
with sighs, ejaculations, and tears." 

One more entry will suffice. The next day was the 
Lord's-day. '* Sunday : Went to prayer-meeting as usual. 
A large congregation. Heard of the death of Miss 
McNeal and her mother. Went to Passage Fort. Called 
at several houses. Saw several persons dead and dying. 
Called at the hospital and found more dead there, and 
the hospital in a filthy state. Preached to a thin con- 
gregation, owing to the great mortality in the neighbour- 
hood. Called again at the hospital, and ordered a nurse 
to be procured. From thence went to Cumberland Pen ; 
several cases of the disease existing, and several deaths. 
The Kraal Pen had been in a dreadful state, but was some- 
what improving. The Farm Pen, the property of Lord 
Carrington, was rapidly decimating; several had been 
interred without coffins, and numbers were being taken 
with the epidemic every hour. I prayed with all the 
patients, and returned to town at dark. Preached in the 
evening to a large congregation." 

Thus, day by day, with unwearied step and unshaken 
courage, this servant of Christ carried the balm of conso- 
lation to the dying, and sought to cheer their closing 
minutes with words of salvation and hope. The strain 
was great for the few weeks during which the mortality 
was greatest; but, towards the end of November, the 
pestilence began to abate in Spanish Town and its 
vicinity, and by Christmas the south side of the island was 
nearly free of its ravages. About 2,500 persons fell victims 
to the pestilence in the parish of Spanish Town, while in 
the city of Kingston, fourteen miles away, 10,000 were 
stated to have perished. Through the gracious Providence 
of God, not a missionary in the island fell a prey to the 



258 The Cholera. [1850 

disease; so mercifully was fulfilled the promise, ''A 
thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy 
right hand ; but it shall not come nigh thee." The Baptist 
churches in England raised nearly /*2,5oo for the assist- 
ance of the sufferers in Jamaica. Large quantities of 
medicine were also sent out. In the distribution every 
class of the population was assisted, and very welcome 
aid given to the pastors, whose privations were scarcely 
less painful than those with which the poor people were 
afflicted. 

The closing days of the year had an additional tinge of 
sadness added to them by the decease, after a long and 
painful illness, of the Rev. J. Tinson, the tutor of the 
Calabar Institution. It was the sorrowful duty of Mr. 
Phillippo to preach his funeral sermon, on the i8th 
December, before a large congregation. Mr. Phillippo 
afterwards embodied his reminiscences of his very dear 
friend in a brief memoir, which was inserted in\he Baptist 
Magazine for May, 1 85 1 . 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

TIMES OF REFKESHING--1852 TO 1853. 

With the opening days of the year 1852, Mr. Phillippo's 
prospects began to brighten ; and he was able to resume 
in all its departments, his pastoral and evangelistic work. 
January 5, 1852, he writes: **This morning I was privi- 
leged to administer the ordinance of believer's baptism to 
sixty-three persons, chiefly 3roung and intelligent* It took 
place at Passage Fort, and the whole of the previous night 
was occupied by a prayer-meeting, I giving an address at 
frequent intervals. The chapel and yard were crowded, and 
all the services were deeply interesting. On the following 
Lord's-day the baptized, with eight others who had sought 
restoration, I had the happiness to receive into the church, 
and to introduce to the table of the Lord. It was indeed 
a delightful day — ' a time of refreshing from the presence 
of the Lord.' I can truly say that, all things considered, 
appearances of prosperity were never greater at any 
previous period of the church's history.'* 

The people entered heartily into the plans for the 
repairs of the chapel and the manse. Some gave their ser 
vices gratuitously as masons and carpenters ; others, of the 
better class, cheerfully superintended the progress of the 
work. Subscriptions to the amount of /'soo were sent in 
during the first six months of the year. The people at 
Sligoville and at Kensington built kilns, and burnt lime 
sufficient for the entire restoration. *'And they came, 
every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one 

s 2 



26o Times of Refreshing, [1852 

whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the Lord's 
offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congre- 
gation" (£xod. XXXV. 21). At Sligoville, he says, 
" about thirty-seven turned out to work with the greatest 
hilarity and energy, some cutting down trees for firing, 
some collecting stones, others breaking them. The scene 
was really inspiring. They had a mind to work; and, 
before the close of day, the foundation of a very large 
kiln was laid, which rose three feet from the ground. A 
still larger number turned out the next day. Glad should 
I have been had some of those been present who affirm 
the impossibility of getting the peasantry to work, except 
for a very high rate of wages* as well as to see the effect 
of the voluntary principle. Altogether, fully a hundred 
hands were employed. I, besides superintending the 
gangs, felled about a dozen trees myself, to show that I 
was willing to bear a hand with them." Ten days later he 
records : '* Both kilns finished to-day, and set fire to. 
They blazed beautifully, as seen from the elevation the 
house commands." 

Later on, Mr. Phillippo records that these appearances 
of prosperity were not deceptive. '* Sunday, March 10, 
a good prayer-meeting, and about the best congregation 
I have ever seen in the chapel for years— the first Lord's- 
day in January not excepted. The sight was deeply inter- 
esting ; and I should have been ungrateful indeed had I 
not magnified the Lord for His goodness. The great 
number of decently dressed, intelligent young people 
especially interested me. I never saw so many before. 
At no former time, indeed, have so many been connected 
with ns. This is a source of great encouragement as to 
the future." 

His congregation at Sligoville also participated in this 
pleasing revival. " March 17 — Sunday : A very excellent 
congregation. I scarcely ever saw a better ; so many young 



1852] Times of Refreshing. 2 6 1 

persons, and so good a Sabbath-school." •* May i o —A 
very large congregation, notwithstanding the rain which 
had delnged the mountain district for some weeks 
previously. People all in good spirits." 

The effect on his own spiritual feeling, too, was most 
cheering. Thus, under date of June 1 1, he writes : '* Had, 
I trust, some profitable thoughts and meditations this day 
on the text, * Seeing then that we have a great High 
Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of 
God,* &c. (Heb. iv. 14, 15). O Thou Light of the world, 
enlighten oar souls. Teach us to know more of Thy 
infinite, unsearchable riches, Thou great God-Man, that 
we may love Thee with an increasing love, and serve Thee 
with an increasing zeal, till Thou bfingest us to glory. 

" ' Give me Thyself, from every boast 

From every wish set free ; 
Let all I am in Thee be lost. 

Bat give Thyself to me. 
Thy gifts, alas ! camiot suffice 

Unless Thyself be given ; 
Thy presence makes my Paradise, 

And where Thou art is heaven.' " 

His delight in nature and natural objects burst forth 
with new freshness. " June 18. Up long before day and 
listened with indescribable sensations of delight to the 
concert of the birds, the mocking bird leading the choir, 
and his liquid melody heard above all, the rest being like 
an accompaniment. The birds are very numerous now, 
being, as I suppose, so little disturbed, especially the 
nightingales. Their song is almost incessant in the imme- 
diate neighbourhood of the house. Sometimes one sings 
on a tree just before the door at nine o'clock, and on 
moonlight nights until midnight. The humming birds, 
too, are greatly increased in number with my increased 
stock of flowers and flowering shrubs, and other birds 
also, less known to me, but not less beautiful." 



262 Times of Refreshing. ['852 

The general and happy influence of the severe trials 
through which the church had passed he thus summarises : 
— *' Sunday, June 27. Our difiiculties» our long and great 
difficulties, are surmounted ; but, like the Israelites when 
they achieved the conquest of Canaan, many Canaanites 
lurking about the walls of our Zion give us annoy- 
ance, and are permitted occasionally to hurt us. 
This we may expect for years to come. We are now 
placed in our right position as a church in relation to the 
world. The line that separates the two has now become 
distinctly visible. We never were so before, and perhaps 
no section of the Church in this island is in the same 
situation. We are the first in Jamaica that are really 
separated from the world. It is fit it should be so, that 
such a reformation should take place under the oldest 
missionary and in the metropolis of the island.^' With the 
secession the most unworthy members of the flock had 
been carried away. 

It was with no little joy that, the repairs being completed, 
the chapel was re-opened on the ist of August, f'or some 
days previous the several classes of the church were busy 
in cleaning and beautifying the neat but spacious edifice. 
At an early hour of the day a prayer-meeting was held, 
presided over and addressed by Mr. Phillippo. The preva- 
lent sickness to some extent diminished the attendance, 
but throughout the day the people, with '* an exuberant " 
joy beaming on every countenance, flocked to the various 
services. The interest was both deep and devout. The 
morning service was conducted by the Rev. D. J. East, 
who had a few months before arrived in Jamaica to take 
charge of the Calabar Institution. His " excellent " 
discourse was founded on the words of the 13th verse 
of the 1 02nd Psalm. In the evening, a scarcely less 
impressive sermon was preached by Mr. Phillippo's 
staunch friend, the Rev. W. Teall. In the afternoon, a 



1852] Timet of Refreshing, 263 

service, commemorative of the Act of Emancipation as 
well as the re-opening of the sanctoaryi was held, and 
the happiness of the occasion found expression in several 
addresses from the pastor and others present to share in 
their gladness. In a note referring to the proceedings of 
the day Mr. Phillippo says : "The chapel and the whole 
premises, being just repaired and painted, looked neat 
and beautiful, in great contrast with the desolation and 
ruin they so lately exhibited. These improved aspects 
of the outward condition of the church, added to the 
happy circumstances which these services especially 
commemorated, excited in the minds of all, not only deep 
and lively gratitude, but also the devout and earnest 
aspiration of the Psalmist, ' Save now, I beseech Thee, O 
Lord ; O Lord, I beseech Thee, send now prosperity.' " 

Towards the close of the year the small-pox spread as 
an epidemic throughout the island, and, although it was 
not so fatal as the cholera, it added to the distress which 
still prevailed. But Mr. Phillippo and his congregation 
were more especially affected by the sudden decease of 
their tried friend, Joseph Fletcher, Esq. The painful 
tidings was communicated to Mr. Phillippo by the Rev. 
John Cox, of Woolwich, Mr. Fletcher's pastor, and it is 
due to the services rendered by Mr. Fletcher that the 
reply should be recorded here, expressing as it does Mr. 
Phillippo's estimate of their value : — " Spanish Town, 
December 23rd, 1852. — My dear Friend, — It was with 
deeper sorrow than I can express that I received your letter 
announcing the death of my beloved and venerated friend, 
Mr. Fletcher. I felt deeply for myself, for Mrs. Fletcher, 
and for the beloved family, and for the Church of God. 
We have each and all sustained a loss never again, at 
least in two of these respects, to be supplied. 

'' For myself and family, and, I may add, the whole 
church at Spanish Town, we feel that we are bereaved. 



264 Times of Refreshing, ['851 

^ . — - — .. , I— I- 

We have lost a faithful, kind, and generous friend — a 
father; and our poignancy of sorrow may be in some 
measure conceived. His name and generous actions are 
engraven on the hearts of thousands in Jamaica, and his 
memory will be cherished here to the end of time. God 
has honoured him to accomplish a work for us that no 
other man could or would have effected." 

'* I am extremely obliged to you for the details you have 
given me of the last moments of our revered friend. I 
shall read your letter on next Lord's-day, and I will 
venture to say that it will call forth feelings that I shall be 
unable to withstand." 

" None, perhaps, but you, myself, and a very few others 
know what our beloved friend was in the domestic circle, 
and none, therefore, can so fully estimate their loss. He 
was, without exception, the kindest, most loving, and 
beloved father of a ftimily I ever knew. Beneath his roof, 
amidst the tender, generous hospitality of himself and his 
beloved wife and children, myself and thdse dearest to me 
have enjoyed some of the happiest hours of our existence, 
and it is a pang in our sorrow, that we shall never cease to 
feel, that our earnest hopes, so fondly cherished, of seeing 
him once more in the flesh are broken off and disappointed." 

Mr. Phillippo subsequently prepared a brief sketch of 
his friend's life, which appeared in the Baptist Magazine. 
of the year 1853. 

Apart from these sad events, the spiritual growth of his 
congregation filled Mr. Phillippo's heart with gratitude 
and joy. The schools in Spanish Town, re-opened in 1 847 
under the care of Mr. O'Meally, who had been his faithful 
helper in all his troubles, gave him unalloyed pleasure. 
The following letter, written in the early part of the year 
1853, presents a very pleasant picture of the busy and suc- 
cessful pastor : — 

" I am thankful to say that our peace and prosperity as 






1853] Times of Refreshing. 265 

a charch and congregation continue. On the morning of 
the new year I had the pleasure of adding to the church, 
by baptism, thirty-two persons, and on the following day, 
being the first Sabbath of the new year, they were re- 
ceived into the fellowship of the church in the presence 
of a very large and deeply interested assembly. The 
greater number of those thus received were, as has been 
osaal of late, young persons, the children of pious parents, 
who have mostly been taught the first rudiments of educa- 
tion in our schools. It is gratifying also to notice that not 
fewer than eight or ten of the number attributed their con- 
version to God to services that were held during the preva- 
lence of cholera. Among the young people was an African 
girl, some short time since, together with some twenty or 
thirty more, rescued from a slave-ship and placed on an 
estate in the neighbourhood. She gave such clear and, 
in every respect, such satisfactory evidences of her piety 
as both interested and astonished me. 

''I have had the great happiness of adding to the 
church by baptism since I have been restored to full 
possession of the chapel, including a period of about two 
years, upwards of one hundred and fifty members, and 
have received about fifty who had from various causes 
previously discontinued their attendance on the public 
means of grace, or who had gone to other places of 
worship, making a total of full two hundred. 

" Yesterday, in accordance with previous announce* 
ment, I preached a sermon to young people, when the 
chapel was crowded, and more strangers were present 
than I have seen for many years past ; some, indeed, were 
present who, I believe, were never in our place of wor- 
ship before. 

** Although great poverty is experienced by the people 
in genera], in which we, as ministers of voluntary churches, 
of course largely participate, we have much to encourage 



266 Times of Refreshing, ['853 

us. May God graciously, in His own good time, afford us 
temporal as well as spiritual prosperity I 

''As soon as we can get a little free from the remainder 
of our embarrassments I hope to hold a missionary meeting 
here, to try what we can do for Africa and the Calabar 
Institution. We shall, however, have much to do for 
some time to come in the repairs of the mission premises 
at Sligoville and Passage Fort, which have suffered much 
during our long struggle and consequent inability to pre- 
serve them from decay. Another object that claims our 
anxious concern and most vigorous efforts are our schools, 
which have been injured also from the same causes. We 
have, indeed, much work before us, and I pray God to give 
us grace to do what we have to do with all our might. 

'* Both myself and people are much gratified and cheered 
by the kindness of the different individuals and churches 
who have so readily and generously assisted us by their 
donations towards our repairs at Spanish Town, as also 
to the brethren by whom our cause has been espoused and 
advocated." 

The meetings referred to in the above letter were held 
in the month of July in Spanish Town, Passage Fort, and 
Sligoville. They proved to be ^theripgs of the deepest 
interest, and called forth strong expressions of wonder 
and gratitude from Mr. Phillippo and the numerous 
friends who assisted him* A friend from England, Mr. 
D. Haddon, occupied the chair on each occasion. The 
meetings were crowded to excess. In addition to the 
great numbers of the inhabitants of the town, many hun- 
dreds came from various parts of the country, some on 
horseback, and whole families in carts. The utmost 
order and decorum prevailed. There was not the slightest 
interruption, either Within or without doors, during any of 
the services. This series of meetings, says Mr. Phillippo, 
'' were a matter of grateful astonishment to me. I could 



1853] Times of Refreshing. 267 

not bat regard the presence of many as a token of their 
regret at the share they had taken in my troubles. Every- 
where the most marked deference is manifested towards 
me. This clears the atmosphere around me^ and will do 
wonders. I have now a smooth sea before me, and I may 
put more canvas on my bark* This is the Lord's doing. 

Lord ! keep me from pride and vainglory ; but more 
than all from forgetfulness of Thy mercy and goodness. 

1 may truly say, What has God wrought ! *' 

His active participation in public affairs was now much 
sought after. He entered very warmly into a proposal 
that was made to the missionaries, that they should nomi- 
nate representatives to join a mission of delegates to 
England, to lay before the Queen's Ministers the decayed 
state and perilous condition of all the interests of the 
country, and made several journeys to the north side of 
the island to confer with his brethren on the matter. He was 
summoned (March 9th, 1853) by the House of Assembly, 
to attend and give evidence before the Committee '* ap- 
pointed to inquire into and report upon the moral and 
social condition of the labouring people of the island 
since 184.5, the educational wants of the juvenile popula- 
tion, and whether the future good of the island would be 
best c6nsulted by making education compulsory."* 

On this last topic the interest of Mr. Phillippo was deep. 
From the beginning of his life in Jamaica he had devoted 
much time and energy to the spread of instruction amongst 
the people. Next to the preaching of the Grospel he re- 
garded it as the most effectual method for promoting their 
civilisation and well-being. Among his numerous references 
to this subject, he has left the following brief compendium, 
written at this time, of the views he entertained : — 

''The friends of education may be divided into two 

* He had been summoned in the previous February to give evidence 
on the necessity of a bridge over the Rio Cobre.^ 



268 Times of Refreshing. [1853 

classes. First, those who hold that the spread of educa- 
tion should be left to the voluntary action of the people. 
These may again be divided into two sections : (i) Those 
who dislike the principle of Government interference in all 
matters affecting the moral interests of the community; 
(2) Those who distrust the working of such measures. 

** The former deprecate any plan not religious. The 
latter fear that Government interference would in its 
immediate results be injurious to the interests of religion, 
and, perhaps, ultimately lead to tyranny by the controlling 
power it would give to the inculcation of the opinions of 
the governors. 

'* By the first of these a Government plan would be 
opposed as unjust ; by the last, as inexpedient. 

'' 2. The advocates of State interference may in like 
manner be divided into two parties : ( i ) Those who wish 
to see both original and controlling power vested in a 
central board ; (2) Those who would confine the function 
of Government to the aid of schools already in existence, 
or to the establishment of new ones in connection with 
local effort on fixed and understood principles." 

Mr. Phillippo then proceeds to state his own conclusions 
as follows : — 

" I. If Government interfere at all in the education of 
the people, it must do so rather by aiding and promoting 
voluntary efforts than by centralisation and direct control. 

'' 2. That education, in order to be useful, must be moral 
and religious, without being sectarian or exclusive. 

''3. That the Bible is better adapted than any other 
book for general use in schools, its introduction without 
note or comment involving us in fewer difficulties, and 
offering greater advantages, than any other plan that has 
yet been devised for the religious instruction of the popu- 
lation. 

** If these points can be successfully established, the 



1853] Times of Refreshing, 269 

path of duty will be plain. Good men of all parties must 
unite to lay the foundation of public virtue and private 
worth in the general education of the people on Scriptural 
and comprehensive principles. A system of instruction 
established on any other basis would be a public calamity, 
since it would not only supersede voluntary efforts, but 
convert public instruction either into an engine for the 
promotion of spiritual tyranny, or into a channel for the 
propagation of latitudinarianism.'* 

These views were by no means acceptable to the ruling 
authorities in Jamaica, and no real effort was made or 
attempted to provide for the instruction of the peasantry. 
The discussions in the local journals were frequent, often 
bitter, and on not a few occasions did Mr. Phillippo 
vindicate in the press the enlightened views he held. 
Twelve or fourteen years had to elapse, and a frightful 
calamity fall upon the island, before the education of the 
masses was brought home to the minds of the rulers with 
a force and necessity they could no longer withstand. 

Among other matters of lighter interest we find Mr. 
Phillippo delivering, in April, a series of lectures on Cuba 
and other islands of the West Indies, to a literary and 
reading society which had been recently formed in 
Spanish Town. Later in the year he was engaged in 
preparing a reply to a series of questions on Jamaica 
addressed to him by the secretary of the Statistical branch 
of the British Association. 

The year closed with the reception of the very gratifying 
news that their eldest son had passed his examination in 
Edinburgh, and had attained the degree of M.D. It was 
a joy to his parents that he soon after commenced practice 
in Spanish Town, and that their declining years were 
cheered by his filial care. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

THE WORK OF FAITH-i8S4 to 1855. 

Between three and four jears of pleasant and successful 
labour were now granted to Mr. Phillippo. With renewed 
energy and diligence he gave himself to the ministry of 
the Word, and reaped the fruit of his labours in constant 
additions to the churches under his care, and in their 
steady growth in Christian knowledge and faithfulness. 
The difficulties of previous years, were at an end, and he 
often wondered as he witnessed the favour which God 
gave him in the eyes of all classes. He records with 
especial pleasure the incidents that attended the observ- 
ance of the I St of August, 1854, ^ showing that his 
" expectations with respect to the cause in Spanish Town 
were not disappointed.'' The commemoration of the day 
of emancipation was preceded by missionary services on 
the 1 6th and i8th of July, in connection with the Calabar 
Institution and mission work on the Western Coast of 
Africa. The day itself was observed with a baptismal 
service at Clair Park Pen, near Spanish Town. The 
attendance was larger than on any previous occasion, the 
people flocking in during the night from all parts, 
encamping under the trees, and with bonfires illuminating 
the scene. At daylight, a thanksgiving meeting was held. 
The booth which had been erected proving too small for 
the crowds, this solemn act of worship was conducted in 
the open air. The candidates for baptism were then 
seated under the branches of a wide-spreading tree, the 



1854J The Work of Faith. 271 

spectators standing around. After Mr. Phillippo had 
addressed them, they proceeded to the river-side. Here 
the pastor delivered an impressive discourse on the 
subject of baptism, and afjter aingiag and prayer the 
candidates, forty-two in number, were baptized. *' The 
place selected for the observance of the sacred rite/' says 
Mr. Phillippo, " was a truly beautiful one, the wooded 
banks rapidly ascending from the river's bed on both 
sides, giving the appearance of a vast amphitheatre, 
thronged with people. The greatest silence and solemnity 
prevailed throughout, and numbers were deeply affected. 
The lawn before the house was covered with horses, carts, 
gigs, and all kinds of vehicles." Interesting and striking 
indeed mnst such a scene have been even to an indifferent 
spectator ; but to those who knew what slavery had been, 
who had seen the degradation and cruelty that attended it, 
who had become acquainted with the persecution that 
some of these very people had suffered for professing their 
love to Christ; but more especially to Mr. Phillippo 
himself, the veteran advocate of freedom and fast friend 
of the enslaved — such a sight must have excited emotions 
too deep and thrilling for words to express. At the re« 
ception of the baptized into the church on the following 
Sunday at the table of the Lord the chapel was crowded 
to excess, and the services seem to have created a revival 
among the strangers, as well as the usual congregation 
present on the occasion* 

A similar delightful season is recorded on the last Sab- 
bath of the year, when forty-three, chiefly young and intel- 
ligent, people were baptized in the Rio Cobre. Mr. 
Phillippo writes : " It seemed as though the whole town 
and neighbourhood had poured forth their population to the 
spot On fronting them from the river's bank, I beheld a 
compact mass of heads upwards and on each side, as far 
as my eye could reach. The address was listened to 



27* The Work of Faith. [1854 

throughout with an interest and attention that could not 
be exceeded. I had previously requested that none of 
the spectators should move from their places until I 
emerged from the water and pronounced the Benediction. 
This request was implicitly obeyed ; not one stirred from 
the spot or broke the universal silence, until I gave the 
signal, when they moved away with the same decorum and 
order as they had exhibited in coming, and during the 
whole ceremony. The circumstances altogether were 
deeply solemn and impressive — such as a few years since 
I could not have anticipated ; while I have reason to 
believe that many present were spiritually benefited; 
many were in tears. Others who had been undecided 
added their names to the list of inquirers ; and some who 
had backslidden promised a renewed dedication of them- 
selves to God and His cause." ' 

Such days as these do not stand alone in the records 
Mr. Phillippo has left behind. Again and again it was 
his joy to receive into the church individuals of all ages, 
who testified to the saving power of the Gospel irrespect- 
ive of race or station. But nothing gave Mr. Phillippo 
greater happiness than to learn that men who had for- 
merly been his bitterest adversaries, as well as the 
greatest oppressors of the slave, had become the servants 
of the Master he loved. Referring to one such case which 
happened at this time, he says : *' How marvellous are the 
works of God I Mr. L., the magistrate who did his utmost 
to prevent the introduction of the Gospel into his parish, 
who interrupted the surveyors engaged in measuring the 
piece of land purchased by the slaves, and some others 
of the people who were free, for the purpose of building a 
chapel ; who ordered the materials collected to be carted 
away to his own premises; and who was one of the 
greatest enemies in the country to missionary operations, 
has returned to Jamaica ' a new man in Christ Jesus.' He 



i8s5] The Work of Faith. 773 

now attends the place of worship which he aimed to 
destroy, and is a contributor to the cause he laboured to 
overthrow." 

The year 1855 was marked by much sickness and mor- 
tality among the members of his flock, some of the most 
pious and useful being amongst those who entered their 
rest. And although this year did not bring additions to 
the comoiunity, yet " the state and prospects of the church 
and congregation were most pleasing." He adds : ** We 
have a considerable number of young people who are 
anxious to unite with us in Christian fellowship. Some 
of them are of unusual interest and promise, whom we 
hope to baptize in a few weeks. Our peace and harmony 
continue unbroken. Prejudices and other unfavourable 
circumstances seem to have entirely disappeared, and every- 
thing indicates future repose and prosperity, consisting in 
the devotion of heart and life to God. We have had two 
or three deeply interesting missionary meetings during 
the year, which were most numerously and respectably 
attended." 

The large school in Spanish Town, on which he had 
expended so large a measure of time and cost, gave him 
much satisfaction. At the examination conducted by 
Dr. Morales, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, that 
gentleman observed "that the children had acquitted 
themselves in a manner that reflected great credit on 
themselves and their teacher. And to you [turning to 
Mr. Phillippo] great praise is due for the indefatigable 
zeal you manifest in raising and continuing these institu- 
tions. You, I believe, were among the first in this island 
to set in operation institutions for popular education. 
This school is associated with many pleasing recollec- 
tions of my past career. So far back as twenty-five years 
I had the pleasure of visiting it, and it is still more gratify- 
ing to me to learn that the present master, Mr. O'Meally, 

T 



274 The Work of Faith. [1855 

was educated here, whose work is worthily seen in the 
efficiency of the scholars I have had the privilege of 
examining to-day." 

The crowning happiness of the year was, however, the 
tidings that his two younger sons had been baptized and 
united in fellowship with the churches at Lucea and 
Mount Carey. *• Thus," he records, " my three sons and 
only dau){hter, in the morning of their days, relying on 
strength and grace from above, have given their hearts 
to God, and have consecrated their lives to His service." 

The general affairs of the mission had also a full share 
of Mr. Phillippo's attention. As a consequence of his 
previous connection with many of the churches and his 
long experience as a missionary, he was not unfrequently 
requested to mediate in matters of importance beyond the 
circuit of his own ministrations, and to reconcile both in- 
dividuals and churches between whom causes of strife had 
arisen. He was eminently a peacemaker, and sought to 
infuse in every association with which he was connected 
his own spirit of gentleness and respect for the views of 
others. He gladly took part in the management and in 
the annual examinations of the Calabar Institution, and 
gave his hearty support to the enlargement of its useful- 
ness, which took place in 1854, by the formation of a 
normal school department. 

The death of the greatly esteemed Treasurer of the 
Society, W. B. Gurney, Esq., early in the year, called forth 
a warm expression of regard and esteem from the mission- 
aries assembled at Calabar. In forwarding their resolutions 
to the Committee, Mr. Phillippo seized the opportunity to 
give his own personal sentiments. ''To say our late 
Treasurer was a great and good man is not enough. 
He was one of the princes of the people, and of the heads 
of the ciders of Israel. In personal, practical devotedness 
to the cause of God, and real benevolence in its support, 



iSss] Th€ Work of Faith. 275 

it seems scarcely possible that he could have a superior. 
His habits and the whole tenor of his life proved that the 
good of souls and the advancement of Christ's Kingdom in 
the world were his meat and drink, his study and his recrea* 
tion, the goal towards which his efforts, his prayers, ever 
seemed to tend. Oh i that many who have similar 
capacities for usefulness may catch his fallen mantle. 
The Society has great cause for thankfulness that the 
successor [Sir S. Morton Peto] of their late honoured 
Treasurer is a man of like spirit ; but we want such men 
multiplied a hundredfold. Mr. Gumey died, it seems, 
just as it was expected he would, his mind calm and 
serene, not trusting in his own righteousness or depending 
upon his good works, but as a sinner looking for the 
mercy of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 'Let me 
die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like 
his.' " 



T 2 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

PUBLIC AFFAIRS— 1854 to 1856. 

Early in 1854 an important change was made in the 
government of Jamaica, by the formation of a salaried 
Executive Council of three persons, who should act as 
responsible advisers of the Governor, and with whom all 
money Bills were to originate, instead, as heretofore, with 
individual members of the Assembly. A much-needed 
check was thus placed on the extravagant expenditure so 
frequently authorised at the instance of interested parties. 
Under the administration of Sir Henry Barkley, who 
succeeded Sir Charles Grey in October, 1853, these 
changes worked well ; and a brief period of political 
repose aided the growth of the general industries of the 
island. The value of all kinds of produce increased, and 
an impetus was thereby given to trade. The sugar estates 
were slowly falling into the hands of resident owners, and 
were being cultivated, especially on the north side of the 
island, with a spirit and success unknown for many years. 
The Governor's visits, during April and May, to various 
parts of the country filled him with pleasure. He conld 
not but be pained to witness the large number of estates 
still lying ruinate ; but the indications of progress among 
the peasantry were an ample compensation. If their 
education had been neglected by the propertied classes, be 
found others active in the cause, and bore willing testi- 
mony to the energetic and successful labours of the varioDS 
missionary bodies. Still, the subject was one that called 



1854] Public Affairs, 277 

forth incessant discussion. In February, 1854., Mr. 
Phillippo was requested, by a communication from the 
Governor, in common with other missionaries, to supply 
returns annually of the state and progress of education at 
his stations ; and, shortly after, the House of Assembly 
took up the question, and made an effort to pass a Bill 
which, in the judgment of Mr. Phillippo and his 
colleagues, was calculated to jeopardise mission schools, 
and to give an undue prominence and control over public 
instruction to the clergy of the Establishment. 

The measure was hurried through the House of 
Assembly in order to prevent any remonstrance from the 
Nonconformist communities. " 1 attended," says Mr. 
Phillippo, '* a meeting held in Mr. H.'s office, to prepare a 
memorial to the House, and to the Governor in Council, 
against this renewed attempt to ignore and obviate the 
good being done by missionaries. The Bill appears to 
have secured the favour of the Council, since it was 
brought in by the acting Attorney-General, although a 
professed Liberal. Such was its nature that one of the 
brethren writing to me thus expressed himself : * If that 
Bill becomes law, I think all of us had better put ourselves 
in a posture ready for flight at a moment's notice, as any 
rabble may immediately cause us to be ousted from our 
homes, and the protection of tl\e law be completely taken 
away from us.' Being in the metropolis, and having the 
opportunity of seeing the members of the Council, I was 
expected to do all in my power to arrest the progress of 
* this monstrous Bill.' The measure was arrested by the 
combined action of the Nonconformist missionaries. I 
famished them particulars respecting its provisions and 
their operation, and waited on the Governor with an 
address, being deputed by the body for the purpose." 

The subject of education continued also to be much 
agitated in the press. Mr. Phillippo published several 



278 Public Affairs. [1854 

letters in the Watchman and the Standard newspapers, 

which were afterwards reprinted in a collected form, and 

obtained a wide and useful circulation.* Mr. Phillippo's 

own schools were conducted on the system of the British 

and Foreign School Society, and supported entirely by 

voluntary contributions* He therefore strongly opposed 

another Bill brought into the House of Assembly, in 

1856, at the suggestion of Lord Glenelg, the Secretary of 

State for the Colonies, which would have enforced a com- 

pulsory system of education throughout the island, for 

which it was totally unprepared. It was Mr. Phillippo's 

conviction ** that the machinery proposed would involve 

a mischievous waste of public money, that the grants 

would be perverted to private gain, and that they would 

augment the evils which the system professed to correct 

and obviate." 

Not less strenuous was his opposition to the scheme, 
which, in the session of 1854-5, found favour with the 
House of Assembly, for making appropriations from the 
public funds to any and every religious community that 
would receive them. "Grants," says Mr. Phillippo, 
" were lavishly made, not oiily for the support of the 
Established Church and the Church of Scotland, but were 
also offered to the Moravians, the Wesleyans, the native 
Baptists (the latter unconnected with the organised body 
of Baptist missionaries), and Roman Catholics, and would 
possibly have been given to any other sect had they existed 
in sufficient numbers to be thought worthy of such 
consideration." 

''The Roman Catholics seem to have had special 
advocates in their favour in the House ; and such persons 
were commended by them and the press for their liberality 

* The pamphlet was entitled, <*A Plea for Education on the 
Voluntary System. In Letters addressed to the Members of the 
Honourable House of Assembly, Jamaica, 1856.'* 



i85S] Public Affairs. 279 

of sentiment. No doubt the Jews, United Presbyterians, 
Congregationalists, and Baptists woald have been equally 
successful, if they could so far have forgotten their 
principles, and bartered their spiritual rights and inde- 
pendence. With regard to the Roman Catholics, the 
Nonconformists had lifted up their voice year by year 
against such a prostitution of the public money by a 
professedly Protestant Legislature. Our Presbyterian 
brethren acted nobly in the matter, giving expression to 
the sentiments of their Synod in strong language, as did 
others, asserting that such grants were an endowment of 
Popery. My correspondence with brethren on this subject 
was very considerable, as may be supposed from the 
locality of my residence." 

At Mr. Phillippo's suggestion, the Baptist missionaries, 
when assembled at the annual meeting of the Calabar 
Institution, opened communications with the Presbyterian 
missionaries, expressing their great willingness to co- 
operate' with them in suitable measures of opposition to 
all grants for religious purposes from the island treasury. 
But these grants were not finally withdrawn or discon- 
tinued till the measure for the Disestablishment of the 
Church of England in the colony was passed in 1870. 

One other public matter much occupied Mr. Phillippo's 
time in the years 1855-7. The old Clergy Bill, by which 
the salaries and status of the island clergy were fixed, 
bad yet some four years of its original term of fourteen to 
run. But, as the Legislature seemed in a compliant 
mood, the partisans of the Establishment resolved, if 
possible, to secure their position for a longer time, and to 
perpetuate their privileges for another like term at the 
close of the current period, even though, to secure it, 
they might have to submit to some reduction in the 
stipends then payable. Mr. Phillippo and his colleagues 
thought it an opportune moment to raise the general 



28o Public Affairs. (1856 

question of the need of an Establishment at all. He 
commenced a series of letters in the Watchman newspaper, 
and carried on an active correspondence with his Non- 
conformist brethren throughout the island. '' Now/' he 
says, ** as the Clergy Bill was likely to dispel all hopes of 
Disestablishment for many years, a conference of all the 
ministers of voluntary churches was thought necessary, 
and I forwarded circulars for the purpose." The con- 
ference was held in the Metropolitan school-room, in 
Spanish Town, and a memorial, both to the Governor and 
to the Colonial Office, was adopted. But it was of no 
avail; and in January, 1857, "this scandalous Clergy 
Bill," as he terms it, ** passed into law." 



\ 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES AND ENGLAND— 

1856 TO 1857. 

On the 9th of June, 1856, Mr. Phillippo embarked in the 
Robert Lush, Captain Graham, for a brief visit to the 
United States. For some time it had been evident that 
the strain of the last twelve years of anxiety and labour 
had greatly affected his health. A change was eminently 
desirable, if not absolutely necessary. The voyage, which 
was attended by fine weather throughout, had its customary 
invigorating effect on his constitution, and he arrived in 
Baltimore, on the 25th of June, in safety and improved 
health. He at once found himself in the midst of friends, 
among whom he specially mentions the Baptist ministers 
of the city, and Mrs. Kingdon, the widow of a former 
missionary and colleague in Jamaica. 

Learning that the Congress was in session, he hastened 
to Washington, '*the city of magnificent distances," 
finding everywhere a welcome, and enjoyed brief inter- 
course with some of the leading celebrities of the State. 
During a short visit to Philadelphia, he renewed his 
acquaintance with Dr. Belcher, an old English friend 
who had transferred his ministry to the United States, 
and with whom he consulted concerning the publication 
of his work on the United States and Cuba, which for 
some years he had been busy in his more leisure moments 
in bringing to completion. He availed himself of every 
opportunity which his journey afforded to increase his 



282 Visit to the United States and England. [1856 

stores of infonnation and to test the accuracj of his 
views. Another English acquaintance whom he met 
was the Rev. Mr. Berg, who had been for some time 
settled at Williamsburgh, and for whom he preached. A 
few days after he reached New York, and in an interesting 
letter to his wife, dated Brooklyn, July 13th, he thus refers 
to the state of things around him : — 

" I am thankful to say that the affection of my voice is 
much better than when I left. I have preached only once 
on each of the two Sabbaths I have been here, although 
I have much to do in replying to questions about Jamaica 
and us people on each day of the week; that .is, in 
correcting the misrepresentations and in counteracting 
the slanders that are put abroad here by the pro-slavery 
party respecting the results of emancipation in our island. 
Some are astonished and gratified; others look suspiciously, 
and evidently do not like my reports. I went to the Anti- 
slavery office the other day, and saw Lewis Tappan, Esq., 
the Clarkson and Sturge of America. He heard my 
representations of the real state of things in Jamaica with 
great interest, and expressed much anxiety that I would 
embody my statements in an article which he would place 
in some of the leading periodicals. This I could not 
possibly do then, but I promised to comply with his 
request, if I can command sufficient leisure to do so, on 
my return from Canada. The subjects of Slavery and Free- 
dom are the all-absorbing ones at this time in America. 
Everything seems to hinge upon and take its colouring 
from them. Nothing else scarcely, except business, is 
thought or talked of. Slavery is most certainly doomed ; 
—the only fear is the results of the conflict for its aboli* 
tion to the integrity of the union in relation to North and 
South. From all I hear I am of opinion that disruption 
would not follow this great measure of justice to the 
African race. The alliance between these two portions of 



1 Ss 6] Visi/ io the United States and England. 283 

the union is too complex and powerful both socially and 
commercially. I think the free States have only to place 
the helm of the State in the hands of Fremont, and he will 
£^ide the. vessel safely, though not without loss and 
danger, into port. Party feeling runs high in relation to 
the next President. The candidates are Buchanan, Fil- 
more, and Fremont. The latter is against the institution 
of slavery — ^the others advocate or tolerate it. The 
principal chances, it seems, are between Buchanan and 
Fremont. Filmore is the idol of the * know-nothings,' 
and is said to have no chance of success." 

In a postscript, he adds, very characteristically, ** Please 
tell Mr. Hall, .and all the deacons, leaders, and people, 
both in Spanish Town, Sligoville, Passage Fort, and all 
round the country, that I feel sometimes very anxious 
about them, and that I most earnestly hope they will be 
regular in their attendance at the chapel and on all the 
means of grace, and otherwise conduct themselves in such 
a manner as to cause me no pain on my return. I have 
here to listen sometimes to very great misrepresentations, 
both of the people and the state of things generally in 
Jamaica, but I unfailingly make known the truth." 

From New York Mr. Phillippo proceeded to Canada, 
making a delightful voyage up the Hudson to Albany, and 
thence by rail to Niagara. Here he met Mr. and Mrs. 
Landon, with whom he sojourned for a few days, enjoying 
the recollections and amenities of their old friendship 
in Jamaica. He reached Montreal by way of the St. 
Lawrence, and has preserved the following graphic 
description of his shooting the rapids of Lachine :^ 

** At a small Indian village we pause a moment to 
receive 6n board our steamer an Indian pilot, who takes 
complete control of the vessel. Four men are at the 
wheel. There is hardly a breath of air stirring, everything 
is calm and quiet, and our steamer glides as noiselessly 



284 Visif io the United States and England. [1856 

and gently down the river as she would along an ordinarj 
canal. Suddenly a scene of wild grandeur breaks upon 
us. Waves are lashed into spray, and into breakers of a 
thousand forms, by the dark rocks they are dashed 
against in the headlong impetuosity of the river. Whirl- 
pools, narrow passages beset with rocks, a storm-lashed 
sea, all mingle their sublime terrors in a single rapid. In 
an instant we are in the midst of them ; now passing with 
lightning speed within a few yards of rocks, upon which, 
were our vessel but to touch, she would be reduced to an 
utter wreck before the sound of the crash could die upon 
the air ; again shooting forward like an arrow towards a 
rocky island, which our bark avoids by a turn almost as 
rapid as the movements of a bird. Then from crests of 
great waves rushing down precipices our craft is flung 
upon the crests of others as they recede ; she trembles to 
her very keel from the shock, and the spray is thrown far 
in upon her decks. 

"Now we enter a narrow channel hemmed in by 
threatening rocks, with white breakers leaping over them ; 
yet we dash through on our lightning way, spuming the 
countless whirlpools beneath us. Forward is an absolute 
precipice of water ; on every side of it breakers are thrown 
high into the air. Where shall we go ? Ere the thought 
has come and gone we mount the wall of wave and foam 
like a bird, and glorious, sublime science lands us a 
second afterwards upon the calm, unruffled bosom of a 
gentle river. The seemingly dangerous Lachine Rapids 
are left behind us, and onward we come ; the fear and 
excitement of our apparently perilous descent gives way to 
admiration, as we gaze upon the gigantic structure before 
us spanning the river, the ' Victoria Bridge.' " 

During the few days devoted to Montreal, he enjoyed 
the hospitalities of Dr. and Mrs. Davies, meeting with 
many friends *' from Yorkshire, Leicestershire, Hastings, 



1 857] Vist'^ io ihe United States and England. 285 

and elsewhere." '* All along my route/' he continues to 
his wife, '' I have met with friends and acquaintances from 
England and Jamaica almost innumerable. I scarcely 
stop in a place for a day but I meet with many 
persons I have known before, and even in places where I 
am not personally known, to my great surprise, oftentimes 
it is said my name has for years been a household word." 

This delightful intercourse, however, necessarily came 
soon to a close, and after a short visit to the Grand Ligne 
Mission he passed through Boston and Rhode Island to 
New York, where he embarked for Jamaica, having in 
company the young lady to whom his youngest son, Edwin, 
was about to be united in marriage. They arrived in 
Jamaica on the 6th of October. 

This short holiday did not, however, produce all the 
beneficial results which Mr. Phillippo hoped would 
follow. In his reply to a very cordial letter from the late 
Dr. Brock urging him to visit England, dated February 
24th, 1857, he announces his intention to adopt the advice 
of his friend, and says : — ** My principal object will, of 
course, be to seek renovated health. I have now been in 
this climate nearly three-and-thirty years, and, not having 
been idle, nor without my share of the anxieties and cares 
to which flesh is heir, it will not appear surprising that 
mj constitution should begin to betray signs of decay. 
I have not been really well for several months past, and 
my symptoms are such that I feel persuaded if I do not 
get away from my work here, and find a more bracing 
atmosphere for a time, my future usefulness will be greatly 
diminished, and probably my life be jeopardised. I have 
been home twice during the three-and-thirty years, but 
both times I delayed doing so till my health and strength 
were so prostrated, or disease had become so seated in my 
constitution, as almost to preclude the hope of recovery, 
even after a residence of years. I was better for my hasty 



286 Vtsii io the United States and England. [1857 

visit to the States ; but the advantage was only temporary. 
At the same time, as it appears now pretty evident that 
the will of God is for me to find my grave in Jamaica^ 
and as I am so far verging towards the common limit of 
human life as to preclude the prospect of bidding farewell 
to my relatives and friends if I postpone my visit much 
longer, my wife and family unite in urging my visit as a 
duty I owe both to myself and them, and to the cause of 
God in Spanish Town. Under these circumstances, 
added to your kind invitation to your hospitalities, you 
will be among the first to whom I shall present myself on 
my arrival." 

Mr. Phillippo accordingly sailed for England in the 
Atrato on the 26th of March, accompanied on board by his 
sons Cecil and George. On the previous evening a fare- 
well, but deeply interesting, prayer-meeting was held by 
his flock to commend him to the care and blessing of 
God. 

It is unnecessary to say that he received a hearty wel* 
come from Dr. Brock. On his arrival at Southampton he 
was greeted by a letter from him, and, lest Mr. Phillippo 
should not take him at his word and proceed at once to his 
house, Dr. Brock sent his son to bring him thither. He 
was scarcely settled comfortably in the cheerful home of 
his warm-hearted host and hostess than he was over- 
whelmed ^ith applications for his services at missionary 
meetings, to most of which he sooner or later responded. 
He was also called upon by several influential members of 
the Liberal party in London, and by his friends of the 
An ti- Slavery Society, anxious to hear from his lips some 
authentic evidence on the state of affairs in Jamaica. 

The views to which he gave utterance he at length 
embodied in three letters, which appeared in the columns 
of the Freeman in the month of June, and, as they con- 
tain his matured judgment on the various matters referred 



1857] ^^^^ ^^ ^^ United States and England. , 287 

to in them, it is due to his memorr to give some general 
outline of their nature. 

The objections or statements he had to encounter 
took generally the following form : — It was affirmed that the 
emancipated peasantry had fallen into a state of deeper 
degradation and immorality than that which existed an- 
terior to the era of freedom ; that Obeahism and Myalism, 
and other kindred superstitions, had greatly increased ; 
that idleness had become a painful characteristic of large 
masses of the population, and that no wages would tempt 
them to steady and continuous labour ; that the grossest 
immorality and licentiousness were unblushingly practised ; 
that anarchy and resistance to lawful authority were on 
the increase ; that irreligion was increasing on every side ; 
and, finally, that the Negro exhibited no inventive faculty, 
and no desire for social progress or material improve- 
ment. 

Mr. Phillippo's reply to these allegations consisted of 
two parts : of an explanation, and of a statement of facts 
drawn from his own experience. 

By way of explanation, he points out that it was natural 
to expect that, when the pressure of a slavish condition 
was removed, the true character of the Negro would 
become more visible; that many of the evils deplored 
were the sure result of the wicked system from which the 
slave had so recently escaped ; that the Legislature had 
placed no check on the increase of gambling-houses and 
taverns, where the means of intoxication were cheap and 
abundant ; that many superstitions which were dying out 
had been re-awakened in power by the introduction of 
liberated slaves from Africa, and of emigrants from India 
and other heathen lands. He freely admits that riots and 
other breaches of the laws had become not unfrequent, 
but traces them to the action of a few demagogues and 
others who, at elections, by the most unworthy means. 



288 Vist/ to the United States and England. [1857 

sought the electoral support of the. rising class of free- 
holders. He regrets the increasing neglect of the ordi- 
nances of the Gospel, but remarks that it was partly 
owing to poverty, and still more to the subsidence of the 
excitement which attended emancipation* At all events, 
it had one beneficial result — there was less hypocrisy and 
fewer unworthy members of the churches bearing the 
name of Christian. But more particularly he traces many 
of the evils and difficulties under which Jamaica was then 
suffering to the mortgaged condition of many estates, to 
the decay of cultivation;* to the competition of the slave- 
grown sugar from Cuba and elsewhere in the English 
markets; to the great increase of taxation, which was 
made to press with unfair weight on the peasantry ; and, 
as the consequence of all this, the diminished means of 
the better classes and the resulting poverty of the labour- 
ers. He calculates the loss which the island sustained 
from these causes at not less than /^8oo,ooo a year, for 
the most part borne by the labouring classes. *' It can- 
not," he concludes, ''be difficult to conceive that this 
combination of circumstances must have had a powerful 
effect on the whole country in producing the poverty de- 
scribed, and the utmost ruin to its agricultural and com- 
mercial interests, as well as in the deep injury that must 
have been inflicted by their operation on the ministers of 
the Gospel, and on the religious and school establish- 
ments dependent upon the voluntary contributions of the 
humbler classes for support." 

But there was another side to the picture. The con- 
dition of Jamaica was not all dark. If the moral and 
social condition of the people was not altogether satis- 
factory, or even if it had in some respects retrograded* 

* He stales that out of six hundred estates under cultivation pzc- 
vious to emancipation thiee hundred had been abandoned and become 
ruinate. 



1857] ^^^ ^0 ^^^ Untied States and England. 289 

nevertheless, *' considering/' he says, *'the demoralising 
influence of the system to which the masses were subject 
for so many generations, it is my opinion that the degree 
of their advancement in the moral and social scale during 
the last ten or twelve years is without a parallel in the his* 
tory of any country. The masses are advancing steadily 
onward towards that higher state of civilisation and 
morality to which I believe them destined by nature an^ 
Providence." 

He then goes on to affirm that some of the indications 
of deterioration referred to are rather evidences than 
otherwise of progress ; they are the effect of *' the decline 
of superstition,'* of ** their recovery from intellectual pros- 
tration," and " the effervescence of freedom in minds 
suddenly let loose from sullen and ancient depression." 
The charge of idleness he declares to be " decidedly and 
palpably untrue. In all my joumeyings through the ex- 
tended district under my superintendence, in which there 
are sugar estates, coffee and pimento plantations, and 
several extensive villages, I have scarcely seen an indi- 
vidual at any time loitering about, or 'indisposed to labour 
for reasonable wages duly and punctually paid,^^ On this 
point Mr. Phillippo lays great stress, as it was notorious 
that in numerous instances this condition was "shamefully 
violated." He then proceeds to remark on the improve- 
ments he had witnessed in the style and manner of living, 
on the increase of well-built and well-furnished houses; 
surrounded by land purchased with the savings of the 
people, and cultivated in sugar, ginger, and other tropical 
and profitable products of the soil. In numerous cases 
these freeholds were gradually assuming all the features of 
sugar estates, small mills rising up, and the manufacture 
of sugar increasing year by year. In fact, a very con- 
siderable portion of the sugar consumed on the island was 

produced by these small cultivators, while hundreds of 

u 



2Q0 Vfst/ to the United States and England. [1857 

barrels were exported to England and America. He 
mentions one parish as having produced at least a thou- 
sand barrels for export. 

These improvements, he affirms, were largely owing to 
the increased pastoral visitation on the part of the mis- 
sionaries, the easier acpess to the people in their own 
homes enjoyed by ministers and teachers, the pressure of 
church discipline, and, above all, the instruction constantly 
and strenuously imparted in church and school. There 
had been indeed a great falling off in their contributions, 
"not occasioned to any extent by decreased inclination 
on the part of the people to contribute to benevolent 
objects, but to their real inability from the prevalence of 
poverty." But there had been a remarkable display of 
liberality by these recently enfranchised slaves. " I am of 
opinion/' he concludes, " that, since 1845, more than two- 
thirds of the full amount required for perpetuating the 
operation of these agencies, including schools, the erec- 
tion and repairs of places of worship, and the support of 
schoolmasters and ministers, have been raised on the 
spot." 

'* In conclusion, emancipation has increased the oppor- 
tunities of the people for improvement, induced in them 
a relish for the comforts as well as the necessaries of life, 
aroused them to a sense of the value of property, and 
brought about habits of industry. The path has been 
opened by which all the highest, and best, and noblest 
human possessions may be obtained by the once despised 
and oppressed bondsmen of Jamaica." 

This exposition of the condition of Jamaica was every- 
where warmly welcomed, and, happily, though Mr. 
Phillippo's health was sorely tried by the numerous en- 
gagements which pressed upon him, he was able to visit 
the chief centres of population and intelligence, and to 
convey to many parts of the kingdom a true picture of the 



1 85 7] y^^ ^0 ^^ United Slates and England. 29 1 

results of the great boon of freedom. He further aided 
the cause of Jamaica by becoming a member of a deputa- 
tion, promoted by the committee of the Anti-Slavery 
Society, to wait on Lord Palmerston on the subject of 
African immigration. His. practical knowledge of the 
question led to his being put forward as the chief speaker 
on the occasion. The deputation, he says, "was most 
graciously received, and Lord Palmerston promised to 
give his best consideration to the subject." 

The general affairs of the mission also called for his 
constant attention, the Committee of the Society em- 
bracing the opportunity of his presence, with that of the 
Rev. W. Dendy and others, to confer with them on the 
interests and well-being of the churches and their pastors. 
These conferences bore fruit in after-years ; and he 
strongly expressed his grateful appreciation of the 
cordiality with which his views and suggestions were 
received by the Committee, and by the friends of the 
mission in all parts of the country. 

Towards the close of October he spent some happy 
days with his relatives in Norfolk, where his aged mother 
still lived to rejoice in his usefulness. Having accom- 
plished, beyond his expectations, the objects which brought 
him to England, Mr. Phillippo embarked on board the 
mail-steamer Parana^ at Southampton, on the 2nd of 
November, and bade farewell once more to his native 
land. After a somewhat unfavourable voyage of twenty- 
four days, he landed in Jamaica on the 26th. 

•* I journeyed," he says, •* the following day to Spanish 
Town in safety and health. I need not say that my return 
was cordially welcomed by the people. My own thank- 
fulness and joy were especially excited by the health of 
my beloved wife and family, and the happiness they 
expressed in finding me once more amongst them. The 
means of grace had been regularly maintained at my 

U2 



292 Visit to the United States and England. [1857 

several stations during my absence, and unintemipted 
peace and harmony had prevailed." But Mr. Pbillippo 
found that the advance of years was not without its power- 
ful influence on his energies, and he adds : " One thiug, 
however, occasions me deep regret, and this is my sense 
of inability to perform the work of former years. My 
district embraces a circle of full fifty miles, and requires 
constant labour in travelling, preaching, and pastoral 
supervision, to say nothing of superintendence of the 
schools.'* 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

RESUMPTION OF LAJBOUR— 1858 to l86<x 

Thb agreeable and extended visits paid by Mr. Pbillippo 
to the large circle of friends he formed in the United States 
and in England brought upon him on his return home a 
constant stream of correspondence on various subjects 
connected with the well*being of Jamaica. Among his 
American correspondents, Mr. Tappan, the well-known 
opponent of American slavery, is particularly mentioned ; 
and in the month of April, 1858, he had the pleasure of 
entertaining in Spanish Town the brother of that 
gentleman, and of introducing him to his congrega- 
tion. The distinguished Abolitionist was anxious 
to possess information on the working of emanci- 
pation, and this Mr. Phillippo gladly supplied. The 
editors of several newspapers in the States frequently 
asked his aid, and threw open their columns to his ex- 
position of island affairs. At the same time he maintained 
an active interchange of letters with various parties in 
England, more especially keeping the leaders of the 
Anti-slavery Movement informed of the progress of events 
under the administration of the new Governor, Captain 
Darling, who, having been long resident in the colony, 
and employed as secretary under Lord Sligo and Sir 
Lionel Smith, possessed in a special degree an ac- 
quaintance with the wants of the country. To several of 
his friends, from whom he had received assistance for his 
schools, and enjoyed marked proofs of personal regard, 



294 Resumption of Labour. \}^l^ 

he forwarded collections of the fauna and flora of Jamaica, 
to the study of which he had devoted many leisure hours 
during his long residence. Referring especially to a 
collection of land shells that he had made, he saysr 
'' I was for some years ignorant of these beautiful fabrics 
of insect manufacture, but, when aware of their variety in 
form and the splendour of their colouring, it became so 
fascinating a study, and so interesting to collect them, 
that it beguiled many a walk and journey, and occupied 
what might have been useless minutes to obtain and 
classify." He also soon became involved in the discas- 
sion of many matters of local interest. On the ist of 
April he is the spokesman of a deputation to the 
Governor, congratulating his Excellency on his assump- 
tion of the high office he was called to fill. Next be is 
making urgent applications to the local authorities to 
increase the facilities needed by the people to convey 
their produce to market, and to improve the condition of 
the roads. He presses on their attention the destructive 
inundations caused by the overflowings of the Rio Cobre 
in and around the village of Passage Fort, the chapel and 
mission-house being at times rendered unapproachable, 
except by boats. A few days after he is taking part in a large 
public meeting, which was held at his mountain home, to 
consider the impassable state of the roads in the district 
between Sligoville or High gate and Spanish Town. 
The memorials adopted at these meetings were laid before 
the House of Assembly in order that the money needed 
might be obtained. Of a more general nature were the 
eflbrts he put forth, in common with his missionary 
brethren, to prevent the adoption of an immigration law, 
which they held to be both unnecessary, in the presence 
of the large amount of unemployed labour in the island, 
and unfair to the newly emancipated peasantry dependent 
on their daily toil. 



1858] Resumption of Labour. 295 

Soon after his return Mr. Phillippo had the pleasure of 
receiving copies of his new work on ^' The United States 
and Cuba,"* which had just issued from the press at home. 
The book quickly ran into a second edition, and was 
received with much commendation, both in England and 
the United States. The substance of the volume, during 
several years, had been delivered in a course of lectures 
before various literary and scientific societies. The 
materials were driawn from every publication within his 
reach, corrected, enlarged, and enlivened by his personal 
recollections and observations. The scope of the volume 
is very wide, embracing almost every conceivable subject 
connected with the United States. The discovery of the 
country, the history of the States, their geography, 
government, laws, measures, customs, education, social and 
religious life, natural phenomena, geology, zoology, and 
other subjects, all in turn find a place in the panoramic 
picture he has drawn. The work has seldom been 
equalled for completeness. If in some parts it is too 
statistical, these dry matters are relieved by descriptions 
of scenery, and a pleasant account of the various sorts of 
people which formed the mingled population. The volume 
overflows with information carefully compiled, and con- 
veyed in a style at once fluent and clear. An American 
authority pronounced it to be the best work that had ever 
appeared on the subject ; and another critic speaks of it 
as a book which " deserves the widest circulation in Great 
Britain, America, and the West India Colonies." Time 
has in some measure deprived the work of its value. The 
twenty- two years that have elapsed since its publication 
have added immensely to the resources of the States, and 
witnessed the growth of innumerable cities in magnitude 

• "The United States and Cuba." By James M.- Phillippo. 
London : Pewtress & Co. 



1 



296 Resumption of Labour. [i^S^ 

and wealth. The great war of emancipation has changed 
the entire aspect of its civil and social life. But Mr, 
Philiippo's book may always be consulted with profit, and 
will remain a valuable and trustworthy description of the 
country at the time to which it relates. 

At the meeting of the association of the churches held 
in Falmouth on the 31st of March, Mr. Phillippomet with 
a very hearty welcome, and an address, signed by all the 
ministers present, twenty in number, was presented to 
him, •* We are not unmindful," they say, "of your long- 
tried and faithful services, of the wisdom and experience 
you have acquired by them, nor of the immense advan- 
tages that experience is calculated to confer.on the mission. 
We highly appreciate your untiring efforts during your 
sojourn in England to promote the best interests of our 
own mission, and our educational institutions in particular, 
and to promote the welfare of the people generally. For 
these self-denying labours accept, dear brother, our united, 
hearty thanks. Our hope is that we shall yet reap no 
small profit from them." 

During his stay in England, Mr. Phillippo was able to 
obtain considerable promises of support for his schools, 
so that on resuming his labours they were both revived and 
strengthened. In a letter to a friend he thus reports 
upon them, under date of February i, 1859: — "The 
metropolitan schools were re-opened soon after my return 
to Jamaica, amidst demonstrations of joy throughout the 
town, and are now amongst the best conducted and most 
efficient institutions of the island. 

" These schools already contain one hundred and six 
scholars of both sexes, of which number ninety- five are in 
daily attendance. They are conducted by Mr. and Mrs. 
O'Meally, who, though once slaves, and received their 
education in the schools over which they now preside, are 
among the best qualified teachers in the country. They 



1859] Resumption of Labour. 297 

were for many years teachers of these schools before their 
discontinuance ; they subsequently kept a respectable 
private school ; and Mr. O'Meally was latterly second 
master of a free grammar-school in the town, to which, in 
all probability, he would have succeeded as principal but 
for his inability to produce the testimonials of a graduate 
of one of the English universities. Mr. and Mrs. O'Meally 
are also exemplary members of the Christian Church, and 
their character as well as their literary qualifications are 
unquestionable. 

"The country schools, three in number, containing 
upwards of two hundred children, and presided over by four 
teachers, male and female, are not only still in existence, 
but have been brought into greater efficiency since my 
return, I having been enabled, by the increased means 
afforded, to secure in two of them better qualified teachers 
than those previously employed. 

"Altogether, my most sanguine expectations with 
regard to the efficiency and general prosperity of these 
schools, as the result of the generous subscriptions and 
donations of the friends of the Negro, have been hitherto 
more than realised, and, in reliance upon the faithful 
performance of the promises of friends made for the two 
succeeding years, I flatter myself still that the chief 
difficulties in the permanent maintenance of these institu- 
tions will be overcome." 

Not less vigorously did Mr. Phillippo labour for the 
spiritual welfare of his people. Three weeks later he 
writes : — " The church here (Spanish Town) has continued 
in peace, and has been blessed with some degree of 
prosperity. Fourteen, chiefly young persons, have been 
added to it by baptism, and several more who have given 
evidence of repentance towards God and faith in our 
Lord Jesus Christ have signified their desire of putting 
on Christ by a public profession of His name. The 



"298 Resumption of Labour, [1859 

attendance on the pablic worship of God during the 
fonner part of the year was not encouraging, bnt we are 
thankful to say it has latterly been more in accordance 
with our desires. The Ordinances have been duly ad- 
ministered, and outdoor services have occasionally been 
held in the suburbs of the town and other adjacent 
localities. The Sunday-school suffered awhile from 
various causes, but it is now supplied with a sufficient 
staff of teachers, and the prospects of future prosperity are 
encouraging. The day-schools here, and those in con- 
nection with this station at Passage Fort and Caymanas, 
are well attended and efficient. But constant efforts, 
here and at Passage Fort, for the repairs of the premises 
have diminished our ability to aid foreign objects. 

" At Sligoville, the church and congregation are in an 
encouraging condition. Thirteen young persons have 
been added to our number by baptism, and many to our list 
of inquirers, while the congregation has very considerably 
increased. The day-schools here and at Kensington have 
fluctuated as to numbers, but the Sunday-school is large, 
interesting, and efficient. The teachers make good use of 
their library, and are anxious to purchase another from 
the Tract Society." 

In a letter to a friend in the United States he enters 
more fully, on the general state of the mission. ''Our 
churches here, as you know, were in a highly prosperous 
condition for some years. Hundreds, I may say thousands, 
of persons were added to them year after year. Indeed, 
during the thirty-five years of my missionary life, I have 
baptized and added to the churches under my own care 
several thousands who were, I have reason to believe, 
truly converted to God. 

'* The religious excitement that formerly prevailed has, I 
regret to say, considerably declined during the last few years, 
which was to have been anticipated ; but we are thankful 



r -- ^ ^ ^ - — . — ■> 



- 1 



iSsqH Resumption of Labour. 299 

to say, looking at the field before cTs in its full extent, and 
calculating all the circumstances connected with our popu- 
lation, that we have no cause for discouragement. Our 
chapels are in general well filled with attentive hearers, and 
there are being added constantly to our churches such, we 
have evezy reason to believe, as will be saved. 

''The Baptists, as a denomination, are, perhaps, in some 
respects the least flourishing at present, owing to difficulties 
they have had to encounter in consequence of their entire 
dependence upon the voluntary contributions of their 
people for support. 

'' But they have sanguine hopes that they will be able, 
with the temporary aid of the parent Society, or with that 
of the ministry and churches at home still interested in 
our welfare, to overcome these difficulties and become 
more really prosperous than ever. 

"We have lately held our annual Association, and it may 
not be unacceptable to you to be furnished with a few 
statistics of our present circumstances and condition. 

" We have connected with us, as a union or association, 
fiily-two chapels, accommodating 38,565 persons ; attend- 
ing the ministry, 44,704 ; average attendance, 28,192 — f>., 
sixty-five per cent, of adherents ; fifty-seven out-stations, 
fifty-three assistant preachers, seventy-seven deacons and 
others conducting services in the absence of pastors ; 
sixty-one day-school teachers, about 5,000 day scholars, 
730 Sunday-school teachers, and 8,746 Sunday scholars. 
Members, 15,682. Inquirers, 2,043. 

''Added to these items, we enumerate 140 class-houses 
on estates and in Negro villages, twenty-eight dwelling- 
houses or pastors' residences, school-rooms separate from 
chapels accommodating 450 hearers. 

" We have raised altogether for missionary purposes this 
year upwards of ;^6oo, besides amounts for the repair of 
premises, building new chapels, and support of ministers. 



300 Resumption of Labour. [1859 

** I must not omit to observe that these statistics do 
not include all the churches and congregations connected 
with our denomination on the island, as several are not 
associated with us as a union, and are therefore not 
reported." 

Successful as had been the exertions of the missionaries, 
there were nevertheless many reasons for anxiety as to the 
future well-being of the churches, partly occasioned by the 
general condition of affairs, but more particularly arising 
out of the progress that had been secured. 

The question of sending a second deputation to 
Jamaica to inquire into the condition of the mission had 
been brought before the Committee of the Baptist Mis- 
sionary Society in 1857 by a letter from ten of the most 
influential of the European brethren. This desire had 
still further been earnestly pressed upon the Committee 
by Mr. Phillippo and Mr. Dendy, during their stay in 
England in the following year. It was not, however, until 
the close of 1859 that the Committee were able to secure 
the services of the Rev. J. T. Brown, of Northampton, and 
myself for this important task. At the request of the 
Committee, in the months of September and October I 
visited Trinidad and Haiti, and Mr. Brown joined me at 
Kingston, in Jamaica, on the 25th of November. This is 
not the place to recount the investigations of the deputa- 
tion, which lasted over a period of five months, or to give 
the conclusion to which they were led on the manifold 
topics that received their attention.* The stations at 

* By those interested in these questions, reference may be made to 
the Reports of the Society for 1860-61 ; to the Missionary Herald of 
December, i860; and to the following work: '*Tfae West Indies: 
their Social and Religious Condition. By Edward Bean Underlii]]. 
London : Jackson, Walford, & Hodder, i8b2." Also, ** Emancipation 
in the West Indies : Two Addresses by the Deputation at a Pablic 
Meeting held at Willis's Rooms, February 20th, 1861. London : 
i86i.*» 



i86o] Resumption of Labour^ 301 

Spanish Town and its vicinity were the first visited, and 
the last public meeting in which the deputation took part 
was held in Mr. Phillippo's spacious chapel, a member of 
the Government occupying the chair, and the audience a 
large one» consisting not only of the congreg£ition usually 
attending Mr. Phillippo's ministry, but of the most in- 
fluential persons of the town. 

It may, however, be interesting to give Mr. Phillippo's 
account of the visit, and the impressions produced on his 
mind. They are found in a letter he addressed to the 
Rev. Mr. Berg in the month of June, i860. 

"A few weeks since I forwarded you a few lines to 
introduce my friend Mr. Brown, who had been sent as a 
deputation to our churches here at the request of the 
missionaries generally. Owing to the misrepresentations 
of self-interested and prejudiced persons, much miscon- 
ception had arisen in the public mind in England as to 
the state of things amongst us. At the same time, owing to 
the changes that had taken .place in the condition of the- 
people connected with our churches, and in that of the 
missionaries also, and the necessity of some modification 
of existing plans to meet the exigencies that had arisen, 
the Committee were persuaded to depute the Rev. J. T. 
Brown, and one of the secretaries, to visit us, and report 
to their constituents the result. 

" The brethren were most cordially welcomed by both 
ministers and churches throughout the island, and were 
well received everywhere by the proprietors and managers 
of estates, and by gentlemen of respectability. At public 
meetings held at some of the principal towns, the attend- 
ants at which comprehended all classes of the inhabitants, 
they gave full and free expression to their views. These 
were very favourable as to the condition of the island 
socially, morally, and religiously, and their opinions were 
heartily acquiesced in by all the various classes comprising 



joa Resumption of Labour, [i860 

these assemblies. At a missionary .meeting held in Spanish 
Town, their sentiments were endorsed by several of the 
most infiaential members of the Legislature who were 
present, one of whom occupied the chair. Their opinions 
of the state and character of the masses of the people in 
a religious aspect appear to have been much higher 
than those entertained by them previously to their visits 
and to those formed by Christians at home. In a word 
they seem to think that a greater work has been accom- 
plished in the island than the Christian world supposed, 
high as was the estimate they in this respect had formed ; 
that Jamaica stood indeed unrivalled as a field of suc- 
cessful missionary enterprise; and that, with continued 
sympathy on the part of British Christians in relation to 
schools, and in some other ways, no cause would exist for 
apprehension in the future." 

'*Our annual Association was held this year at Montego 
Bay, in the month of February, and was one of unusual 
interest, especially from the presence of our brethren, the 
deputation. Several interesting and important papers 
were read relating to the present state and prospects of the 
churches, as also to the theological institution for the 
training of native young men of talent for the ministry and 
for day-school teachers. The statistics of the churches, 
though gratifying in some instances, were not on the 
whole encouraging, and resolutions were unanimously 
adopted that a week should be set apart specially to invoke 
the influences of the Holy Spirit with a view to the re* 
vival of religion amongst us. Among the encouraging 
incidents recorded were the erection of new chapels, the 
repair of old ones, and the generally increased attend- 
ance on public worship. The contributions to our local 
missionary society were very gratifying, showing a con- 
siderable increase in the year. We have long wished to 
raise at least /^x, 000 a year for home and foreign mission 



1 86o] Resumption of Labour^ 303 

work; the amoant this year was exceeded. Day and 
Sanday-schools are in most cases connected with our con- 
gregations, and the latter contain 10,000 scholars. 

** The number of brethren assembled was greater than 
Qsual. Our public meetings were large and deeply 
interesting, and our conferences were marked' by much 
good feeling, and tended greatly to our mutual profit. 
The special conference with our brethren deputed by the 
parent Society, to which we mutually looked forward with 
some anxiety, was everything, in regard to the manner in 
which it was conducted, that we could have desired. 
Messrs. Brown and Underbill acted towards us with the 
greatest urbanity and kindness, at the same time in a 
manner frank and generous, so that confidence in them 
was inspired from the outset. We found at once that, 
while they would think and act for themselves, they came 
bolstered with no prejudices, and were influenced by a 
simple desire to ascertain the real state of things as they 
exist among us — to afford counsel and advice under 
diflkulties, and to give their opinions as to the best 
practicable means to ensure the future progress of the 
work." 

The visits of the deputation to Mr. Phillippo's stations 
gave them unmingled pleasure, while the kindness and 
hospitality of their reception, the Christian intercourse 
they enjoyed with him, his admirable wife, and other 
members of his family, remain a fragrant and grateful 
memory. They could not but admire the manly character 
of their friend, tempered as it was with Christian courtesy 
and affection. They rejoiced to witness^ the high esteem 
in which he was held by every class of the community. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

THE REVIVAI^i86o to i86i. 

Thb earliest indications of the resalt of the meetings 
resolved upon by the annual Association were commani- 
cated to the Society by Mr. Phillippo, under date of the 
23rd of June, x86o. Writing to me he says : — 

" Since you left our shores we have held the revival 
meetings as decided on at our meeting at Montego Bay. 
I have carried them on from the last Sabbath in April to 
the present time throughout the extended district in which 
my stations are scattered. In the chapels at my diiferent 
stations, in the class-houses, and in private houses, both 
in town and country, prayer-meetings have been held, in 
most cases morning and evening, I going first to one and 
then to another, to encourage the masses attending them 
(especially in the country) by out-of-door addresses, 
accompanied by my wife and daughter. The results, I 
regret to say, have not been such hitherto as we desired ; 
but they have been far from discouraging. In addition to 
greatly increased congregations, there is evidently a deeper 
tone of religious feeling prevalent, an indication, as we 
trust, that God the Holy Spirit will yet again pour out His 
blessings upon us like showers that water the earth. 
Added to the agency already named, a committee for tract 
distribution has been formed, and among the applicants 
for these silent messengers of mercy are several respectable 
planters and their wives and families. More than this — and 
I record it as an evidence of God's purpose to bless and to 



i86o] The RevvoaL 305 

bring into the fold of Christ some even of the class so long 
at enmity with the cause of God and truth — three or four 
attorneys and managers of properties have requested me 
personally, and by messages by the people employed on 
the different estates and pens, to preach at their resi- 
dences. On one large property in this parish, having 
published my intention to preach in the Negro village 
near, the manager sent to request me to hold the meeting 
in a booth he offered to erect in front of the great house, 
that I might address the assembly from the steps or a 
window, that himself, family, and domestics might have an 
opportunity of being present. With this request I could 
not then comply, as a large congregation had then 
assembled on my arrival at the Negro village. His wife 
and family accompanied us, however, and after the service 
expressed their willingness to become tract distributors 
and Scripture readers among the people of the district. 
I have since heard that this lady meets with the people in 
their class-house, and does all in her power to encourage 
them by her presence and efforts. I have promised to 
repeat my visit to this property as soon as possible, when 
I have consented* to occupy the manager's house. Last 
ireek I received a message from an attorney of several 
sugar estates requesting me, when I repeated my visit to 
the property on which he resided, to occupy his house as 
the place in which to hold the service ; or that, if I will 
hold service occasionally on the Sabbath-day, he will erect 
a temporary place of worship in the immediate vicinity of 
the works. In a word, all opposition on the part of 
planters and others against the progress of the Gospel 
has ceased, and everything seems to indicate that the set 
time to favour our Zion again is near. God grant that our 
hopes may be fully realised ! " 

Shortly after it became evident that the Divine blessing 
was about to manifest its power in a remarkable manner. 



3o6 JTie ReovmL [i860 

The first striking display of the gracious influence of the 
Spirit of God took place at a station of the Moravian 
mission, in one of the southern parishes. It quickly spread 
to the eastward, and its effects were briefly sketched in a 
letter from Mr. Phillippo pn the 25th of December: — 

*' You have probably heard before now that the revival 
for which we as ministers and churches here have been 
so long praying and labouring has at length been 
realised in numerous districts of the island. On its 
occurrence in Manchester and Clarendon some weeks ago 
I went down to these parishes to the assistance of brother 
Claydon, and there had sufiicient evidence that the work 
was of God. Since then it has, though at present in a more 
moderate manner as to its external manifestations, found 
its way to Spanish Town ; so that our places of worship 
are thronged, and services are continued in them, I may 
almost say, from morning until night of every day of the 
week. Intelligence of the rapid extent and wonderful 
concomitants of this awakening are reaching us by every 
post. On this south side of the island it has extended 
itself from Savannah-la-Mar to Old Harbour and Spanish 
Town ; and on the north, from Bethel Town and Mount 
Carey, onwards through Montego Bay, Falmouth, Stewart 
Town, Brown's Town, to St. Ann's Bay. It is spreading^ 
and rolling onwards like a mighty river, and will no doubt 
cover the whole island. The results, as in Ireland and 
elsewhere, are not altogether unmixed with evil ; bat 
wherever the movement has been under the guidance of 
pious and devoted ministers of the Gospel the fruits are 
such as demonstrate them the production of the softening, 
converting, almighty operation of the Spirit of the Lord 
of Hosts." 

Under these circumstances, the customary New Year's 
Day services, and the baptismal service accompanying 
them, were of unusual interest. The concourse of people 



i86i] The Revival. 307 

was immense. They poured in from the surrounding 
district It was a beautiful morning, and, amidst the 
deepest emotion, twenty-four persons submitted to the 
sacred rite. "Such," says Mr. Phillippo, "was the 
seriousness and propriety observed that nothing occurred 
to disturb the solemnity of the service from its commence- 
ment till its close." 

•*On the following Lord's-day the newly baptized, 
together with several others who had long been separated 
from the Church (making an addition of sixty during the 
year), were admitted to Christian fellowship. Gratifying 
as the attendance on the public worship of God had been 
since the commencement of the religious awakening in 
the town, the spacious chapel was now filled to excess — 
the aisles, the porticoes, the gallery stairs, the children's 
gallery behind the pulpit, all were occupied, and many 
were out of doors. Full two thousand persons were 
supposed to have been present. 

'' During the morning service considerable excitement 
prevailed. Numbers cried out for God to have mercy 
upon them, and others gave expression to their feelings in 
sobs and tears. There was nothing, however, witnessed 
or heard that was unbecoming the sacredness of the place 
or the services — nothing, except for a short time, that 
obstructed the regular performance of worship. Upwards 
oi a hundred of all sexes were present who were under 
conviction. 

** In the afternoon. Divine service was also held in the 
school-rooms, there not being room in the body of the 
chapel for those who had been the subjects of excitement 
in the morning.'* 

In harmony with the meetings for prayer held during 

tlie first days of the year all over the world, the first 

fortnight of January was devoted to religious meetings 

with the most happy results. ''All the meetings," says 

X 2 



3o8 The Revival, [1861 

Mr. Phillippo, " have been numerously attended, and such 
has been the apparent sincerity — such the earnestness and 
appropriateness of the petitions presented to the Throne 
of Grace — as to leave no doubt in any Christian's mind 
that they were heard in heaven. Of this, indeed, we have 
had abundant evidence. They were quickly followed by 
the revival influences experienced in other parts of the 
island ; and, almost simultaneously with them, hundreds in 
the town and neighbourhood have been under deep 
concern for their souls' salvation, and have cried aloud for 
mercy and forgiveness. 

'* It has not, however, reached the haunts of profligacy 
and general wickedness either in this town or in Kingston. 
Neither has the awakening been characterised by the de- 
grees of physical excitement described as so common in 
other parishes. But it doubtless will come here with 
power, for it is still progressing, notwithstanding the 
counteracting influences consequent on the visit of Prince 
Alfred to our shores.* Scarcely a day passes but we hear 
of numbers in difierent parts of the district arrested^ 
sometimes suddenly, in their career of sin, while not a 
Sabbath-day closes but instances of conviction and con- 
version occur. 

"Among these are numerous persons, chiefly young, 
who were once united to our congregations as inquirers, 
but who had abandoned their profession, or had relapsed 
into a state of carelessness and spiritual insensibility. Of 
this latter class, principally, I baptized on the morning of 
Good Friday last forty-two, kindly assisted in the services 
on the occasion, which were deeply interesting, by 
brethren J. £. and G. Henderson, the former of whom, 

* Prince Alfred arrived in Jamaica, on the 24th of March, bat was 
summoned home by the death of the Duchess of Kent. He left on 
the 6th of April, suddenly cutting short the great preparations made 
for his reception. 



i86i] The RevivaL 309 

on the first Sabbath in this month, received them into 
the church, and conducted the other services of the day, 
I having been at length laid aside by sickness — from 
which, though now nearly a month has passed, I am but 
just recovering. 

" It will thus be seen that, in the course of a few months, 
upwards of a hundred careless, thoughtless, and, in some 
instances, abandoned sinners in connection with our 
church and congregation have been brought to the feet 
of Jesus, clothed and in their right mind ; these, however, 
we trust, are but the first-fruits of the revival here." 

The movement extended to all the stations under Mr. 
Phillippo's care : at Kitson Town, Caymanas, Passage 
Fort, Sligoville, and at almost every settlement and class- 
house in the district. At Sligoville, he says, "On ap- 
proaching the chapel, I heard singing, in which all hearts 
and voices appeared to be engaged. This subsided soon 
after I entered. The converted were arranged on benches 
before me, some with countenances beaming with joy and 
peace, others expressing deep sadness and sorrow of 
heart. Most of them I found to be young people. Some 
of them prayed with an eloquence and earnestness I never 
heard excelled, one little girl especially — she could not 
have been more than ten years of age. Every one seemed 
melted to tears by her entreaties for the pardon of herself, 
her parents, brother, and sister, and all around her. The 
commencement of the awakening here was on the pre- 
ceding Sunday, when the chapel was crowded to excess ; 
and meetings have been held night and day ever since, most 
of the people remaining to the present time almost 
without food or sleep." 

In a brief account of a very crowded meeting held in 
the large chapel in Spanish Town, Mr. Phillippo has 
preserved a vivid picture of the scenes frequent on these 
occasions. " The building was filled from top to bottom, 



310 The Revival. [1861 

and soon after the service commenced the greatest excite- 
ment prevailed. In one direction were poor unlettered 
Africans pouring out their supplications in some such 
language as this, and in the words of one of them with 
the utmost earnestness, his voice heard above the tumult; 
' O Lord, have mercy on me poor soul. O Lord, me 
heart black like me kin (skin) ; wash him in dy predons 
blood. O dear, precious massa Jesus, take kale (scales) 
off me dark eye. Dow sa come and dead to save poor 
sinner from death and hell. Lord, save me — me a sinner— 
me a drunkard, me de tief, me de Sabbat-broker. For- 
give me for mercy-sake. O Jesus, save me by dy precious 
blood.* 

'' Another cries out in another direction in great ap- 
parent distress, ' What must I do to be saved ? Lord 
have mercy upon me ! Jesus, dow Saviour of sinners, I 
look to de. Oh I save me, else me perish.' 

*'A third rises up under great anguish, uttering un- 
earthly moans and piercing cries, which, once heard, can 
never be forgotten : ' What, what must I do to be saved ?' 
His whole soul was in the question, nor could he rest till 
completely satisfied by the minister's exhortation to cast 
himself entirely on Jesus. Heaven, hell, Christ, salvation 
were now no longer uninteresting, unmeaning words and 
notions, but living, substantial realities, which rang in the 
ears and burned in the hearts of the people. 

'' While the countenances of some expressed the most 
childlike submission and perfect trust, others proclaimed 
aloud, with all the animation of perfect sincerity, their 
full assurance of God's mercy through Christ, their full 
joy struggling for expression. Love, peace, gratitude, 
and adoration welled up spontaneously from their hearts, 
prompting them to tell to others what great things the 
Lord had done for them." 

With the advancing months of the year, the fervour of 



i86i] The RivivaU 311 

» I II .iiij iiiij ,111111 -1 11. ■■ « 

the early portion of the movement declined, but the last- 
ing benefits were seen in the increased attendance on the 
house of God, and a more general regard for the ordi- 
nances of religion. If many fell away from their first love 
as the excitement ceased, the gain in genuine discipleship 
was large, and it became from year to year evident that it 
was indeed a time of refreshing from the presence of the 
Lord. 

Mr. Phillippo thus sums up the issues of this great 
movement : — 

'' The direct religious results have been such as to leave 
no doubt on the minds of Christian men who have been 
familiar with it in all its phases, that it originated in the 
wonder-working power of God. On the part of the 
chvrches, it has been a revival of Scriptural knowledge, 
vital piety, and practical obedience, an unusual warmth of 
attachment to each other, and to all who love our Lord 
Jesus Christ in sincerity, added to visible, zealous, per- 
severing efforts for the salvation of their careless and 
impenitent fellow-creatures. It may be said of our 
members in general, but especially of the more intelligent 
among them, that they laboured for the promotion of this 
good work night and day, through many months. Their 
efiorts were distinguished by familiar conversation, more 
general visiting from house to house, more direct and 
earnest labour in Bible and inquirers' classes, a deeper 
interest in the operations of Sabbath-schools, addresses 
at prayer-meetings, the distribution of religious tracts, 
a sympathetic regard for the wants of the necessitous, the 
tempted, and the stricken ; by family devotion and dis- 
cipline, and, individually, by exemplary conduct and 
character." 

*' These agencies, in addition to direct and more 
frequent ministerial efforts, were followed, as may be 
supposed, by vastly increased congregations, by demands 



312 The Revival. [1861 

on the part of the converts for private Christian instruc- 
tion, and by the multitude generally, both in town and 
country, for multiplied prayer-meetings and the regular 
worship of God — services that were conducted in streets 
and lanes* class-houses and public thoroughfares in 
general. Nor must it be forgotten, in the enumeration of 
these results, that an anxious, earnest desire was every- 
where expressed for the possession of religious books 
and tracts, but especially to read, understand, and possess 
the Book of God." 

'' With reference to the multitudes who had been liviig 
without Christ and without hope in the world, and wlo, 
in numerous instances, had seldom — ^in some cases, per> 
haps, never — been within the walls of a place of worship, 
the manifestation of Divine influence in inclining such 
to throng the houses of God, to manifest such sinceiity 
and earnestness of desire for pardon, peace, and salvatbn 
— to unite themselves to the people of God, and to wilk 
in a course of holy obedience — ^is, perhaps, without a 
parallel in the modem history of the Church. Thousands 
of sinners of all descriptions of character, among whan 
were numbers distinguished for profligacy of manners 
and for overt general wickedness — men sunk in in- 
morality and obdurate in crime— reclaimed from su:h 
enormities, subdued, converted, animated with joy aid 
peace in believing, not to mention others less ostensilly 
depraved and vicious ! Thousands of these, together 
with many a conceited Pharisee and rationalist, ' plucked 
as brands from the burning,* have been added to tke 
different churches within a few months, and as many hare 
enrolled themselves on the list of probationers for churck- 
fellowship. 

** To an intelligent observer the power of God cannot 
but be visible in the effects produced. A striking change 
is observable in the conversation, temper, deportment. 



i86i] TTu Revival. 313 

and even in the very countenances of the converts. In the 
immediate localities where this awakening has been most 
powerfnlly and efficaciously manifested there is scarcely a 
person to be seen on the Sabbath, except going to or 
returning from some place of religious worship, or on 
week evenings, unless on their way to or from a social 
prayer-meeting, or some place to listen to the reading of 
the Scriptures and religious tracts. Profane conversation 
and indecent jesting, drunkenness, gambling, quarrelling, 
concubinage, and the superstitious practices of Obeahism 
and Myalism, which presented so great a barrier to the 
progress of the truth among the more ignorant and de- 
praved of the population, and which operated so fatally 
to the peace and purity of the churches at large, have in 
a great measure ceased. In some districts the unnatural 
custom of wakes, where assemblies were gathered on the 
decease of neighbours and friends, and where whole 
nights were spent in noisy mirth and superstitious vigils, 
have been discontinued, or the revolting practices of such 
occasions substituted by religious conversations, reading 
the Scriptures and prayer, with the usual vocal accompani- 
ments of psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs. 

** The minds of some were for a time unsettled, and 
cases were not rare in which appearances of insanity 
were visible ; but, like the Apostle, the subjects of such 
paroxysms appeared to solace themselves with the con- 
viction that, if they were beside themselves, it was for 
God. 

*' As a final remark, it may be said that nothing has 
ever occurred in the Christian Church so calculated to 
promote a spirit of union and harmony of co-operation 
among ministers and people of different denominations. 
Were revivals universal, the Evangelical Alliance would 
embrace the whole Church on earth. Like the rainbow 
of the Covenant, it would indeed include within the arch 



314 ^' Revwah [1861 

of its promise and the glory of its protection the whole 
family of God in earth and heaven." 

The additions to the Baptist churches were a striking 
testimony to the remarkable influence of the revival 
throughout the island. The returns at the close of the 
year from fifty-nine out of the sixty- one churches io 
union state that 3,757 persons were baptized, while there 
were restored to fellowship from a backsliding state no 
fewer than 1,570. The net increase to the churches 
exhibited a total of 4,422, bringing up the membership to 
20,026 persons of all ages. The classes of inquirers were 
also largely filled, and numbered 6,058 individuals. The 
testimony of nearly all the ministers of every denomiDS- 
tion was that the revival was a real blessing and a 
permanent good. '* It was," concludes Mr. Phillippo, 
'* like a tempest passing over, and with one blast purifying 
the atmosphere, and calling into new life a thousand 
beauties over the Christian landscape. It was, indeed, a 
dispensation which, with all its attendant evils, there are 
few ministers or churches who would not wish for its 
recurrence. It gave a higher tone of piety to the churches 
generally, it excited attention, induced prayer and 
unwonted zeal. In one word, it was an awakening from 
spiritual death.*' 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

PATIENT TOIL— 1861 TO 1865. 

Thb three or four years following the revival were years 
of patient toil. The large additions to the churches 
required the pastoi^s watchful care, so that Mr. Phillippo 
was unable to pursue that wide evangelistic labour which 
had in so marked a manner characterised his ministry. 
Besides, the advance of years was making itself felt, and 
the conviction was pressed upon him that his energies 
were becoming unequal to the strain they had hitherto 
successfully borne. This was especially manifest with 
regard to his schools, which languished for want of more 
regular support. For although his correspondents in 
England, more especially those belonging to the Society 
of Friends, and other supporters resident in Jamaica, 
liberally answered his appeals, the correspondence in- 
volved and the uncertainty of the supplies were an 
incessant trial of his faith and patience. 

To one of his friends in Jamaica he addressed the 
following letteri November 3rd, 1 86 1 :^** I received your 
kind note yesterday with its enclosure, and scarcely 
know in what terms to express my sense of obliga- 
tion. I have five schools in the district, for the 
support of which I am alone responsible, and I find 
it hard work to cany them on from year to year. I 
am, however, with you, ^deeply convinced of the great 
necessity of education to the progress and prosperity 



31 6 Pdiieni Toil. [1863 

of this countr}% both temporal and spiritual. I have for 
upwards of thirty years devoted myself to the work. I 
have laboured on through many difficulties and discourage- 
ments, but have the satisfaction (the purest, perhaps, that 
can be experienced in the present world) to know that 
some thousands of my fellow-creatures have been benefited 
by my efforts. My chief difficulty of late years, in the 
support of these schools, has arisen from the conviction 
of many in England that Jamaica ought now to support 
its own institutions. As I could not bear the thought of 
relinquishing them, I am constrained to ask your aid, and 
that of all the friends of their country who I thought were 
likely to lend a helping hand." 

One of the modes in which he sought to sustain his 
school operations he thus refers to in his diary, under 
date of May 10, 1863 : *' Having become, almost insensibly 
I may say, much interested in the study of conchology and 
ornithology, I made offers of forming collections for gentle- 
men on condition that they would aid me in the support of 
my schools. ' With this object in view, I had frequent 
communications with W. T. Marsh, Esq." To a friend at 
Newcastle, who had requested various specimens, he 
writes : '* Both myself and my daughter tried for some 
time to procure and preserve the different specimens you 
request, but I have found great difficulty in doing so." 
He then goes on to describe his work: "In addition to 
my regular ministerial and pastoral duties, extending over 
a very large district, I have to bear the ever-multiplying 
cares and anxieties created by the insufficient means I 
possess of supporting my schools. It is a perpetual 
struggle to preserve their existence. I am often driven to 
such shifts for money to pay the teachers that the close of 
the institutions, one and all, at times seems inevitable. 
But, hoping against hope, I have hitherto, most providen- 
tially, been able to continue them to this day. Among 



1863] Patient Toil. 317 

the whole mass of philanthropists in England, the Society 
of Friends only have steadily pursued their course, and 
to them is due the honour of having been the main 
instruments in securing the happy results of freedom 
visible in the social happiness that exists around us. 
Happy is it amid many depressing influences to reflect 
that the Lord reigneth, and that, whatever may be present 
discouragements, His cause must and will go on. What 
cause have we to pray that our faith and hope may not 
fail ! " 

But if the difficulties in carrying on the schools were 
great, Mr. Phillippo had the gratification of knowing that 
his exertions were fully appreciated by intelligent observers 
on the spot, and that his exertions were rewarded by the 
progress made by the children under his care. ** That 
venerable and highly esteemed gentleman," said a well- 
informed person in Spanish Town, " it is well known, has, 
during the whole period of his lengthened career as a 
missionary on this island, interested himself, with an 
energy, activity, and perseverance worthy of all praise, in 
the work of advancing popular education, and many are 
the living witnesses of the great good which has resulted 
from his philanthropic labours in this direction. With 
unabated zeal, he is still doing what he can to further the 
cause of popular education, although under difficulties and 
trials of no ordinary kind. Many in positions of respecta* 
bility in our island have to thank these institutions for all 
they are worth, mentally, morally, and materially. May 
they go on and prosper 1 May the venerable servant of 
Christ, who has taken so much interest in them for so 
many years, see abundant proofs arising around him from 
lime to time that his labour has not been in vain 1 " 

Nor was Mr. Phillippo without many pleasing indica- 
tions that his ministry was blessed to the effectual 
calling of many into the fold of Christ. Writing April 17, 



3i8 Patieni Toil. [1865 

1865, he says: '* You will be pleased to hear that on Friday 
morning last (Grood Friday) I had the happiness to add 
to my church here by baptism twelve young persons. 
Some of them had for years been connected with the 
congregation as inquirers or catechumens, and all the 
others had been on probation during several months. 
They were, of course, carefully examined as to their 
religious knowledge and experience, and the evidence 
they afforded of true conversion to God was of a very 
gratifjdng character." 

*' The administration of the ordinance was arranged to 
take place soon after dawn in a very secluded and romantic 
spot on the river, between one and two miles from town. 
For those members of the congregation qoming from a 
distance, as lodgings could not be obtained for them^ it 
was arranged that services should be conducted in the 
chapel during the entire night. They commenced at 
ten o'clock p.m., at which time great numbers began to 
pour in. I delivered in the intervals of singing and 
prayer three addresses, occupying until long after mid- 
night. At four o'clock a.m. the masses began to move, 
and by five all were on their way to the place appointed, 
forming an immense procession, with such order and 
quietness that many of the inhabitants of the streets along 
which they passed were not aware of the movement. I 
followed in the rear. Arrived at the chosen spot, the 
multitude arranged themselves without the least confusion 
or disorder on the high banks of the stream, while I 
placed myself in a position which with little inconvenience 
could command the whole assemblage. After a hymn and 
prayer I addressed the concourse, alter which, while 
singing the favourite hymn, * Jesus, and shall it ever be .^* 
&c^ I administered the sacred rite in the name of the Holy 
Trinity. It was a very solemn and interesting scene. 
Many were in tears. Not a word was heard, not a gesture 



i86i] Patient TotL 319 

seen, so far as I coald learn, that was not in harmony with 
the solemn character of the service in which we were 
engaged/' 

*^ I have since heard that not only were some of the 
spectators deeply moved, but that two or three at once 
enrolled themselves as inquirers after the way of salvation." 

**On the first Sabbath of the coming month these 
brethren and sisters in Christ will be privileged for the 
first time to commemorate the dying love of Christ at His 
table, and I trust it will prove * a time of refreshing from 
the presence of the Lord/ " 

Among the persons baptized about this time was Mr. 
George W. Gordon, This event took place on Christmas-i 
day, 1861. ''Of the number who on this occasion 
followed their Lord," writes Mr. Phillippo, " by submit- 
ting to the solemn and impressive rite of baptism, was a 
merchant and large landed proprietor of the island. He 
was the last of sixty who on that lovely morning were 
immersed in the gently flowing stream. When, standing 
by his side, in front of the vast assemblage that covered 
the river's bank almost as far as the eye could reach, I 
asked him if he felt any shame or reluctance to put on 
Christ by this public and open profession of His name, 
his heart was too full to allow him to reply in words, but 
his looks and gestures were not to be mistaken, and, like 
the Ethiopian eunuch, he rose from the liquid grave, and 
went his way rejoicing." The nnuttered words were after- 
wards expressed in a brief note to Mr. Phillippo on the 
same day. ** This day," he writes, '* the Lord witnesses 
the actions and motives of us all who have made an open 
profession of Him. But the secret of the Lord is with 
them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant. 
I pray to-day that henceforth my life may be ' hid with 
Christ' May His grace keep and defend me in running 
the race which is now before me I " 



/ 



320 Paiieni Toil. [1863 

Although baptized by Mr. Phillippo, Mr. Gordon con- 
tinued to maintain his connection with the United 
Presbyterian Church ; bat on various occasions he sought 
Mr. Phillippo's advice, and rendered important services 
in the promotion of the Gospel in the parishes in which 
his property lay. He took a prominent part at the 
missionary meeting held at Spanish Town on the ist of 

\ August of the same year, and in the April following he is 

found consulting Mr. Phillippo with regard to some 

' religious meetings in which he desired Mr. Phillippo's 

assistance. "May the Lord," he exclaims, ''bless all 

' these [services], and may the seed be flourishing many 

years hence ! Oh, how much yet to do J What fallen land 

yi yet to break up I May the Lord have mercy, and early 

^ manifest His glory in all the earth, and particularly in 

Jamaica 1" In March, 1863, Mr. Gordon announced to 
Mr. Phillippo his election as a member of the House of 
Assembly for St. Thomas-in-the-£ast, and expresses the 
hope that the Lord will grant him '' wisdom, patience, 
and grace to guide " him in the intricate future. After 
• referring to his obligations to Mr. Phillippo, he further 

tells him that he has given much attention to the native 

/ Baptists, and attributes to them his election. *' See what 

the Baptists have done here, the poor native Baptists, by 
peaceable means ; they have raised at last a representative 
for the Baptist people and churches of all classes in this 
island. You know I was honoured by being baptized by 
you, my dear friend ; and I found you liberal and unselfish 
in your views, not discouraging me from going among the 
poor natives, but encouraging always to every good 
work. May the Lord bless and keep you always in this 
spirit ! " In his diary, under date of January of the follow- 
ing year, Mr. Phillippo records : ** G. W. Gordon, Esq., 
has occupied himself in preaching and doing good openly 
and in various ways, and I recommended him to originate 



1864] Patient Toil. 321 

an independent cause under his own superintendence. He 
has met with much persecution, is denominated a hypo- 
crite, and by some, of whom better things might be 
expected, * a troubler in Israel.' ^ 

It is interesting to preserve these notices of the man who 
in less than two years was falsely accused of treason to 
the State, and illegally, and contrary to all right, executed 
as a rebel against the Sovereign whom, in common with 
all his people, he venerated and loved. 

The annual meeting of the Jamaica Baptist Union was 
arranged to take place at Montego Bay in the beginning 
of the year 1 864., on the spot where just fifty years before 
the Rev. John Rowe commenced his labours as the first 
missionary sent to the island by the Baptist Missionary 
Society. It was resolved to celebrate the occasion as a 
jubilee. An immense concourse of persons, estimated at 
more than ten thousand, gathered to take part in the 
festive services. All the free places of worship in the ' 
town were thrown open, and were crowded with the 
multitudes that flocked to them. Mr. Phillippo left home 
on the 1 7th of February, accompanied by several members 
of his family, and arrived at Montego Bay on the 20th. 
On the following day, the Sabbath, he preached in the 
ftpacious chapel erected by that estimable missionary, and 
Mr. Phillippo's beloved friend, the Rev. Thomas Burchell. 
The jubilee meeting was held in the same place on-Tues- 
d*y» July 23rd. •* Being by some years," he says, "the 
oldest missionary on the island then living, I was honoured 
to occupy the chair on the occasion. The congregation 
was immense. The large chapel was filled to excess, and 
numbers could hardly obtain a standing-place, even out- 
side the building.'* Mr. PhilHppo's address does not 
appear to have been preserved, but from the other 
addresses delivered we learn that since the commencement 
of the mission 106 Baptist missionaries had been engaged, 

Y 



J2 2 Patient Toil [1864 

and the fruit of their labours was seen in the seventy-four 
churches that had been organised, one or more of which 
might be found in every parish in the island. The member- 
ship in these churches consisted of about thirty thousand 
persons, and for twenty years, notwithstanding the diffi- 
culties through which the island had passed, the converts 
had not only built numerous chapels, many of large 
dimensions, with manses and school-houses, but had also 
supported their ministers and the means of grace without 
foreign aid. Nineteen of the forty-one pastors in active 
service were natives of the island, and had received a 
suitable education in the college at Calabar, near Rio 
Bueno. The institution also embraced as one of its 
objects the training of masters for the day-schools, which 
numbered about ninety, and contained 5,500 scholars. If 
to this number were added the children of the Sunday- 
schools, there were not fewer than ten thousand under 
constant instruction. Nor was the missionary spirit 
wanting among the people. About /* 1,200 a year were 
willingly contributed for home and foreign work. Besides 
the overthrow of slavery, social aad temporal blessings of 
no common value had been secured. Sunday markets had 
been abolished. Equal civil rights had been granted 
irrespective of colour or race ; marriage bad come to be 
regarded as a necessary and honoured institution ; many 
thousands of the people had made themselves possessors 
of freehold lands, and were independent of estate cultiva- 
tion ; education, though not so extensive as desirable, was 
unfettered ; persecution for conscience' sake was stayed, 
and the superstitious and wicked practices of Obeahism 
and Myalism had been driven into dark places. Thus the 
Gospel of God's grace had proved its wondrous power — 
first in the regeneration and salvation of multitudes of 
bondsmen, and then in the social reformation it bad 
accomplished during the years of liberty.. 



1864] Patient Toil. 323 

The papers prepared for this gathering were afterwards 
collected into a volume entitled " The Voice of Jubilee,*' 
Mr. Phillippo contributing to its pages an elaborate 
''Argument and Appeal for Christian Missions." This 
treatise extends to more than a hundred pages, and em- 
braces a full statement of the magnitude, claims, facilities, 
successes, and blessings of the missionary enterprise. Nor 
does Mr. Phillippo fail to show the reflex blessings 
which flow from the devout pursuit of this great object 
on the Christian character both of individuals and com- 
manities. Speaking of the Baptist churches in Jamaica, 
he says : " Think of thirty thousand souls converted to 
God in this our island alone I Every one of them once 
depraved, but now regenerated sons and daughters of 
Ham, together with the thousands now before the throne 
of God and the Lamb ; and thousands more gathered into 
the fold of Christ through the instrumentality of other 
societies, altogether amounting, on a moderate calculation, 
to little less than two hundred thousand souls, had it not 
been for missionary exertions, would, in all probability, 
have been still either sitting in darkness and the shadow 
of death, or have entered upon a state of hopeless and 
interminable woe.*' 

These great results Mr. Phillippo had been privileged 
to witness, all of them secured during the period of his 
missionary life, he, himself, being not one of the least 
eminent of the noble band who, in the hands of God, had 
achieved them. Other good and great men shared with 
him in the blessedness and joy of these triumphs of the 
Cross ; bat it was his happiness, of all the pioneers of the 
mission, to live to tell at the jubilee "the generation 
following *' what great things the Lord had done. 

Notwithstanding occasional attacks of illness, Mr. and 
Mrs. Phillippo were able to carry forward their great work 

during these years without much interruption. Towards 

Y 2 



324 Patient Toil. [1864 

the close of 1864 they were permitted to rejoice in the 
call of their second son, George, to the bar in England, 
and his hearty reception by the bench and bar of Jamaica 
on his commencing practice in the courts of his native 
land. Their happiness was also increased by the maniage 
of their daughter to the Rev. W. Claydon, missionary in 
Clarendon ; while from all their children they enjoyed 
much assistance, combined with a very large amount of 
filial reverence and affection. The progress of years was, 
however, made only too apparent by a slow but real dimi- 
nution of the energies with which their labours in the 
cause of God had hitherto been pursued. £ut the love 
and respect which gathered about their home, and the 
happiness inspired by the '* blessed hope " of the Gospel, 
brightened their days and filled their hearts with peace 
and joy. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

THE DISTURBANCES— 1865 to 1866. 

On the 14th of April, 1865, Mr. Phillippo makes the follow- 
ing entry in his diary : — ''A list of questions was this day 
received from the Governor relative to the condition of 
the peasantry in the country, as a consequence of Dr* 
Underhill's letter to the Right Hon. £. Cardwell, 
Colonial Secretary of State, to which I replied, and sent a 
copy of my reply to the Secretary of the Union for the 
perusal of the brethren, to be forwarded to his Excellency 
with their approval." The Letter which called forth Mr. 
Phillippo's explanation was sent to the Colonial Office on 
the 5th of the preceding January. Its object was to call 
the attention of the Colonial Minister to the lamentable 
condition of Jamaica, and to entreat an early interposition 
on its behalf. For two or three years the most painful 
representations of the poverty and sufferings of the people, 
and consequently of the pastors, had been received by 
the Missionary Committee. Two years of drought had 
desolated the provision grounds and deprived the 
peasantry of their usual food. The American War, and 
increased taxation on imports, made costly the supply of 
breadstoffs, employment necessarily failed, and the moral 
and spiritual improvement of the people had come to a 
stand. Other matters affecting the well-being of the 
population were also brought to the Minister's attention. 
The increase of crime, owing to the prevailing poverty^ 
was alarming. Work on the estates was scarcely to be 



r* * 



326 The Disturbances. [1865 

had ; nor had the estate owners capital to employ the 
labonrerSy who, since slavery, had rapidly increased in 
numbers. The Legislature made no effort to improve the 
condition of the people. Its members were elected by 
a mere fraction, and they legislated in favour of their own 
class, imposing the burdens of the State unequally, and 
refusing just tribunals.* " It is more than time," said the 
Letter, "that the unwisdom (to use the gentlest term) that 
has governed Jamaica since emancipation should be 
brought to an end— -a course of action which, while it in- 
calculably aggravates the misery arising from natural and, 
therefore, unavoidable causes, renders certain the ruin of 
every class, planter and peasant, European and Creole." 

This letter was forwarded by Mr. Cardwell to Lieutenant* 
Governor Eyre, with instructions to report on its contents. 

In the course of a few weeks, it was sent by him direct 
to the custodes of parishes, to the judges and magistrates, 
to the Bishop of Kingston, and through official channels 
to the clergy and ministers of all denominations. It was 
accompanied by a circular requesting these various parties 
to furnish his Excellency with the materials for his report 
to the Colonial Office. It was but natural that the subject, 
under such circumstances, should almost exclusively 
occupy public attention* The columns of the press 
teemed with articles, and, as the Governor took no steps 
to ascertain from the people themselves the nature of their 
complaints, or the causes of the distress under which they 
groaned, meetings were called in almost every parish, 
attended by orderly and patient crowds, to record their 

* Lord Grey's observations on this point are veiy remarkable : Tbe 
Assembly *' have used their power to spare their own friends, and to 
burden severely those who were opposed to them. The affairs of the 
administration were distinguished by corruption, jobbing, and they 
exhibited a total want of judgment in the local authorities in adapting 
their measures to the existing state of things." 



1865] The Disturbances^ 327 

grievances and to ask for redress. In every case these 
•* Underbill meetings," as they were called, ** endorsed " 
the statements of the Letter. At the Spanish Town meet- 
ing, on the 1 6th of May, at which Mr. Phillippo was present 
and gave his hearty sympathy, bat in which he took no 
part, '' the present depressed state of the inhabitants of 
the colony" was deplored; and it was stated that ''the 
meeting views with alarm the distressed condition of 
nearly all classes of the people from the want of employ- 
ment, in consequence of the abandonment of estates, and 
the staple of the country being no longer remunerative, 
caused by being brought into unequal competition with 
slave-grown produce." The third resolution expressed 
sympathy ** with the distressed state of the mechanics, 
who are suffering from the injustice done to them by the 
Legislature having imposed the same import duty of 12^ 
per cent, on the raw materials as on the manufactured 
articles imported into the island." The fifth resolution 
gives, as an example of distress: "That there are in 
Spanish Town, the capital of this island, nearly 150 
carpenters, 60 masons, 91 shoemakers, 127 tailors, 772 
sempstresses, and 800 servants — ^that is, about 1,900 in- 
dividuals out of an adult population of 3,124 of all classes, 
many of whom are without knowing where to obtain 
their daily bread, and all of whom are suffering more or 
less from the high prices of food and raiment and 
excessive taxation." A seventh resolution *' corroborated 
Dr. Underbiirs statements," and thanked him for '* the 
sympathy he evinced towards suffering humanity in this 
island." 

The reply of the Baptist missionaries to the Governor's 
circular was a document of great value and importance. 
It consisted of returns supplied by almost tv^ry Baptist 
missionary, both coloured and European, and deals with 
nearly every part of the island. It is remarkable for its 



f • '^■^ - 



y*- 



328 The Disturbances. [iS^S 

moderation and candour* for the carefulness with which 
the facts were collected and its conclusions formed. 
The missionaries were possessed of the best means of 
information. Their congregations were in the main 
composed of the labouring classes, and, from their 
intimate rela^tions and constant intercourse with them, 
they had every opportunity of knowing the truth. From 
the facts thus accumulated, it was but too painfully 
evident that the distress was not confined to any one class 
of the community, and that the proprietary and peasantry 
were suffering alike. It was beyond controversy that the 
number of estates under cultivation was yearly becoming 
less, and on those in work the cultivation was considerably 
diminished. The small settlers, by their industry, frugality, 
and thrift, were better off ; but even they felt the unjost 
pressure of taxation. The landless labouring classes were 
stricken down by poverty, low wages, irregular employ- 
ment, and the high price of food and clothing. The evi- 
dence of Mr. Phillippo, from his long residence in Jamaica, 
and his known moderation and truthfulness, was particularly 
valuable. He states that within the range of his observa-* 
tion there was very great poverty. Cases of real distress 
were very numerous. The clothing of the people, both 
as to quality and quantity, was not so good as formerly. 
Numbers who formerly possessed horses, breeding mares, 
mules, donkeys, and small stock were now unable to keep 
them. " I think I am within the truth in saying that 
upwards of a hundred of the labouring classes in this 
parish who used to keep horses and carts have been 
obliged to part with them or to discontinue their use within 
the last two or three years. I have seen from thirty to 
forty horses and carts frequently on the mission premises 
on a Sabbath-day, by which whole families were conveyed 
to the house of God and the Sabbath-school. Within the 
last two years they have been reduced to a third of the 



1865] Tke Disturbances. 329 

number* Many who manifested a blamable fondness for 
dress are now in rags, while numbers are scarcely ever 
seen at public worship from insufficiency of necessary 
apparel. Nearly one- half of my congregation absent 
themselves from this cause alone.'* 

On the causes of this distress Mr. Phillippo is not less 
explicit "They are," he says: — "(1) Long-prevalent 
epidemic sickness, measles, whooping-cough, small-pot, 
and fever of a malignant tjrpe ; at one time excessive rain, 
then droughts, with unpropitious seasons, the first rotting 
provisions, the second withering them. (2) Heavy taxes 
on the working stock of the peasantry. (3) Excessive 
deamess of imported articles of food. (4) Want of 
employment. (5) Inadequate wages. In the lowlands of 
the parish the people have suffered much from heavy 
imports on their taxable property, particularly on their 
horses and carts. On the imposition of the exorbitant tax 
on their carts and horses the death-blow was given to the 
commerce and resources and aspirations of the growers of 
provisions. The market fees are also high and capriciously 
collected, while the confidence of the people in their 
representatives had been shaken by their mistaken policy."^ 

The excitement created among all sections of the 
community by the Governor's distribution of the Letter 
inras greatly increased among the poorer classes by the issue 
from Government House of two placards purporting to be 
the ** Queen's Advice " to the peasantry of Jamaica, in 
reply to an appeal for her sympathy and aid. The 
existence of distress was not denied, but the peasantry 
ii^ere assured that they were labouring under misapprehen- 
sion as to the better condition of the similar classes in 
other countries, and that they had only to exercise their 
own industry and prudence in order to enjoy the means of 
prosperity within their reach. This " Advice '^ was felt as 
a mockery of their distress. It added to the irritation 



330 Tke Disturhances. [1865 

and mistrust already existing. Many Baptist ministers 
refused to publish the placards, as they were requested to 
do by the Executive, as only likely to aggravate the 
universal discontent. 

*' A bundle of these proclamations," sa3rs Mr. Phillippo, 
^' was sent to me to be posted up in every public place of the 
district I frequented, accompanied with the request that I 
would read it, with suitable observations, to my congrega- 
tions. But I did neither— first, Because the people were 
perfectly peaceable ; secondly. Because doing so would 
be likely to exasperate such as might be dissatis6ed ; and, 
thirdly, Because they would think the proclamation waa 
the result of Mies* told to 'Missis Queen,' which 
they said the Governor and the House of Assembly were 
always doing, to destroy their character. I was censured 
for my disobedience by some in authority ; but I judged 
that I acted right to let well alone. There are few things 
that disturb and irritate the people here more than theim« 
pression that the authorities endeavour to give them a bad 
character to the Queen."* 

r 

* In a letter, written to Dr. Underhill, dated September 8, 1865, 
Mr. G. W. Gordon thus refers to this "Advice'* :— "Mr. Eyre, the 
Groyernor, has issued a letter of Mr. CardweU as the ' Queen's Advice.' 
This document is extensively circulated and sent to all the ministers of 
religion. By several it has been accepted and read in the churches for 
effect, so that the poor people begin to think that there is no hope for 
them. The planters rejoice over it, and seem delightfully encouraged 
in their acts of unreasonableness and oppression. The condition ol 
the people continues deplorable, especially in the sugar districts, and 
nowhere that I have been more so than in the parish of Vere. The 
state of matters here is really serious — children naked and starving, and 
coolies too ; adults in misery, and not having raiment even to conoe 
out to the meeting. From these causes the places of worship are 
nearly empty, and the schools badly attended, so that, in point of fact, 
the social fabric is giving way." He further gives a deplorable picture 
of the way in which the poor were treated by the planter magistracy, 
and no redress could be obtained from the Governor. 



1 865] The Disiurbances. 33 1 

The climax was reached on the 7th of October, when a 
court of petty sessions was held at Morant Bay. An un- 
satisfactory and partial decision of the magistrates led to 
the release of the prisoner by a disorderly mob, and then 
to the issue of warrants against Paul Bogle and others who 
had taken part in the fray. Resistance was made to the 
service of the warrants on the following Monday, the police 
were seized and beaten, and only released on their taking 
an oath to side with the people. The next day but one 
the people came from their mountain homes to the meet- 
ing of the Vestry in great numbers, some of them armed. 
In the confusion that speedily arose the Riot Act was 
read, stones were thrown, and the volunteers, who had 
been unwisely called out, fired on the crowd, some of 
whom fell. An attack on the court-house immediately 
followed. A school-house adjoining and the court-house 
were set on fire, and, as the parties within attempted to 
escape, they were set upon and killed. The number of 
persons who fell a prey to the violence and passions of 
the mob appears to have been eighteen, and the number 
of the wounded thirty-one. A wild scene of destruction 
and disorder ensued. Stores were broken into and 
ransacked, the prison was assailed and fifty-one prisoners 
were released. 

If resistance to the execution of the unjust decisions 
of the magistrates was at all preconcerted, which seems 
doubtful, there can be no doubt it was occasioned by the 
despair of the people of being treated with justice. In a 
letter addressed to the Governor, with respect to the 
-events of the 7th, and which he received before the 
subsequent military excesses began, they pathetically say : 
•*We call upon your Excellency for protection, seeing 
we are her Majesty's loyal subjects, which protection if 
refused to will [sic] be compelled to put our shoulder to 
the wheel ; as we have been imposed upon for a period of 



^32 The Disturbances, ['^^5 

twenty-seven years with due obeisance to the laws of oar 
Qaeen and country, and we can no longer endure the 
same." 

The flame of the rising immediately spread to the 
country around. Several estates were ravaged and some 
of the occupants wounded, but it does not appear that any 
person was killed, though several seem to have narrowly 
escaped with their lives. 

It is not within the range of this work to describe the 
methods taken for the suppression of this outbreak* If 
the riot at Morant Bay was attended by many circum- 
stances of horror, the retribution was frightful. The inno- 
cent and guilty suffered alike, and large numbers of persons^ 
without even the mock trial of the courts-martial that 
were set up, were flogged or shot down, or hanged, to 
glut the cruel thirst for blood which animated the avenging 
soldiery. The Royal Commissioners ascertained that at 
least 439 persons were put to death, and a thousand dwell- 
ings of the peasantry destroyed. Six hundred men and 
women were subjected to cruel floggings, in some instances 
intensified in cruelty by fine wire inserted in the lash. No 
condemnation can be stronger than the plain, bare, con- 
cluding statements of the Royal Commissioners: "The 
punishments inflicted were excessive." " The punishment 
of death was unnecessarily frequent.*' '*The floggings 
were reckless, and at Bath positively barbarous." " The 
burning of a thousand homes was wanton and cruel." 

The letters of Mr. Phillippo at this time are, as may be 
supposed, filled with details of these lamentable events, as 
they came to his knowledge. His first communications to 
the Mission House appear to have been intercepted by 
the authorities, so that it is not until nearly the end of 
December that we obtain a glimpse of the state of things 
around him. He says : — 

'* We are still in the midst of a very sad state of things. 



1865] 7^ Disturbances. 333 

which you will have found by the newspapers, notes, and 
enactments of the House of Assembly I forwarded you by 
the two last mails — ^that is, if they have reached you, as it 
is here understood that all letters suspected of containing 
anything likely to reflect on the Government authorities 
here are opened at the post-office; and that, in such 
cases, the writer is subject to arrest at any hour for sedi- 
tion, and his papers ruthlessly searched. 

**On that account it is that I have addressed you 
through the medium of Mr. Baynes, and for the same 
reason you will not at present learn the full particulars of 
the RIOT in St. Thomas-in-the-£ast, and the circumstances 
connected with it. I perceive from the Evening Siar^ 
kindly sent to me by Mr. Snow, that the matter begins to 
be seen at home in its true light. I say begins^ as the in- 
telligence since received will, I have no doubt, open the 
ejes of the public still wider, and, as I trust, force them 
to the resolution to have the whole matter most thoroughly 
and impartially investigated from first to last. 

**This must be done in justice to your calumniated 
missionaries, and for the future good of the island, temporal 
and spiritual. No effort or expense must be spared to this 
^:id, especially by the Christian and philanthropic portion 
of the people of England. And if activity and determina- 
tion are more necessary on the part of one section of the 
Christian community than another, the Dissenters are 
that portion, as it is evident that every effort will be made, 
and is now being made, to swamp them.* 

• Mr. Phillippo here alludes to the violent measures, following on 
tbe proclamation of martial law» taken by the House of Assembly to 
des^noy dvil liberty, the liberty of Jthe press, and the teaching of all 
religioas bodies, except that of the Churches of- England and Rome, 
tlie Kirk of Scotland, and the Jews, under the plea of preserving the 
-vronhip of (jod from scandalous abuses, superstitious practices, and 
sedition. 



334 '^^ Disturbances, ['865 

" As an evidence how little we have to expect, it is only 
necessary to refer to the Bill brought in by the Executive 
Committee, and, as would seem, with the approval of bis 
Excellency the Governor, but which was rejected, with 
apparent disdain even, by the House of Assembly. 

*' One consequence of the new Act since passed will 
inevitably be, under existing circumstances, that the hope 
of reduction or removal of the taxes for State-Church 
purposes is utterly extinguished. Little doubt, indeed, 
can be entertained that they will be greatly increased by 
the change. 

" With reference, again, to the Public Worship Bill, I 
herewith forward you the substitute for one which was 
withdrawn. I am informed that this was drawn up or 
received the sanction of ministers of different Dissenting 

denominations (Wesleyans included) in Kingston. It may 

■ 

be as well for me to say that / had nothing to do with it^ 
entirely repudiating, as I do, all laws restrictive of full 
religious liberty. Of the acts of which an ignorant and 
superstitious Ministry may be guilty I am fully aware; 
but I believe, irrespective of higher considerations, that 
such restrictions would be impolitic, and would only 
increase the evil they propose to cure. 

*' The Martial Law Bill I forwarded you by last mail, and 
Lam anxious to know what the British public think of it, as 
it has actually passed into law. By this, the liberty of the 
press is destroyed, and public opinion, judged so necessary 
in England to good government, is struck dumb ; while, the 
term ' sedition ' being undefined, no one is safe if he make 
an observation on occurrences around him — none less so 
than ministers of the Gospel, who have supposed sympa- 
thies with the labouring population. They are at the 
mercy of any ignorant, unprincipled informer to whom 
five shillings would be a temptation. The evidence of 
such men may fail to convict the accused, but he ipay be 



1865] The Disturbances, 335 

■II ■ . . ■ ■ >■ 

set upon by ttie harriers of the press, may have his papers 
rifled, and, in violation of the Act, may be publicly flogged, 
or sent to Morant Bay to be tried by court-martial and 
banged. 

" Is it possible that the British Parliament will sanction 
snch a state of things ? 

" Nor is this all. There are Acts passed or in progress 
equally subversive of liberty and dangerous to the ex- 
pression of public opinion, to which pray call the attention 
of some of your legal and philanthropic friends, particularly 
that, as you will do, of our invaluable Treasurer.* 

" I trust you have received the list of the more respectable 
persons arrested, which I sent you a few weeks since. 
This, however, was only a part of the number arrested. I 
will, if possible, forward the entire list, with some particu- 
lars respecting the parties, that it may be known how far 
the Times and any other slanderers of the Baptists are 
implicated in the calamity in St. Thomas>in-the-£a8t. 

*' I think I before informed you that^ among some other 
efforts I had made on behalf of brother Palmer,t I sent a 
letter to his Excellency the Governor, asking if any charge 
was made against him ; if so, as to its nature, and when 
proceedings would be taken, in order to secure counsel 
for his defence ; otherwise, that he might be released from 
his imprisonment, which had then extended over a month 
(now to nearly two), in a filthy dungeon at Morant 

* These Acts were disallowed by the home authorities, and 
ultimately the Legislature of Jamaica itself surrendered all its powers, 
charters, and privileges into the hands of the Crown. From that time 
to the present the island has been governed as a Crown colony. 

fThe Rev. £. Palmer was a coloured Baptist minister, and the 
pastor of Hanover Street Church in Kingston. He was arrested on the 
charge of sedition, having attended and spoken at an '* Underbill 
meeting." He was pat in irons on board a man-of-war and taken to 
Morant Bay. After a cruel imprisonment of nearly two months, 
without trial, he was brought back to Kingston. 



336 The Disturbances. L'865 

Bay. Mrs. Palmer also wrote me, and I replied at 
once, that her husband should not be victimised without 
a fair trial* I accordingly advised her to place bis 
case in the hands of Mr. Thomas Oughton, who had 
previously interested himself in the matter, promising 
to do my best towards meeting any reasonable expenses, 
as also to speak to my son, the barrister, to undertake 
his defence. 

** A day or two since both Mrs. Palmer and Mr. 
Oughton waited on me on the subject, when it was 
decided not to go to the expense of a * Habeas Corpus,' 
but to wait the result of proceedings in the case of the 
editor of the County [/nion,7fho had also been arrested on a 
simUar charge, for whom my sdn was engaged as counsel* 
The case was argued before the Chief Judge yesterday; 
and the accused were at once admitted to bail.* I under- 
stand that the argument of counsel for the defence was 
such, supported as it was by the highest legal authority, that, 
if correct, it vitiates all the past proceedings both as to 
the declaration of martial law and all its consequences- 
yes, consequences — ^the destruction, as is now stated or 

■ — 1 » 

*Mr. Phillippo himself became one of Mr. Palmer's sureties. 
Under a law passed by the House of Assembly in its last moments, a 
Special Commission Court was fonned, before which Mr. Palmer was 
indicted in February — first, for seditious language at an Undeihill 
meeting held in Kingston, five months before the outbreak; and, 
secondly, with others, for conspiracy. One indictment was quashed 
from informality in the impannelling of the juiy. It was renewed 
before the same jury. A conviction was obtained, and a sentence of 
eight weeks' confinement passed. Up to the day of the trial the terms 
of the charge were kept from the knowledge of the prisoner and the 
defence. The construction of the court and the jury, and the desperate 
efforts made to secure a conviction in order to gain some apparent 
justification to the plea of the Governor before the Royal Commissioar 
ers, deprived the conviction of all moral value. The indictment for 
conspiracy broke down altogether, and, at the suggestion of the court 
itself, was abandoned. Mr. Palmer is still the honoured, though now 
aged, pastor of the church in Hanover Street, 



>865] The DUturhancts. 337 

ramoared, of upwards of 3,000 (! !) of the population of the 
district and the ac^oining ones in which the outbreak 
occurred.* 

" I am happj to say that every part of the island is in 
peace, and, as it would seem, the revolutionary plots 
against the white and more respectable coloured inhabit- 
ants are entirely without foundation. So also, as would 
seem, is the complicity in them by the exiles from Haiti, 
as no evidence has been substantiated against them. 

^ A Mr. Davis, of the Customs, who was said to have 
secreted stores of gunpowder beneath the floor of his 
bouse, and was arrested on this supposition, and some 
others under similar circumstances, have been set at 
liberty, and Mr. Davis has been restored to his office. 
So with a considerable number of others, after an im- 
prisonment of from six to eight weeks, fed only, if reports 
are true, on bread and water. 

" The Maroons (who committed frightful outrages in St. 
Thomas-in-the-£ast) are to become a regular organised 
force. They have been marched through the island on a 
visit to their brethren in the different districts of their 
location, and have everywhere been received with enthu- 
siasm, and feasted to satiety by a certain class of the 
population. Some ask if this is wise or politic, and, it 

*The inquiries of the Royal Commissioii happily reduced this 
number. Speaking of these events, Professor Goldwin Smith said, at 
a missionary meeting held in Oxford on the 17th of December, 1866 : 
*' The vast atrocities which in the first wild paroxysm of alarm were 
imputed to the Negro, and which formed a pretext for the most 
dreadful severities, were afterwards disproved. On the other hand, 
the worst atrocities imputed to the whites unfortunately cannot be 
disproved, for they are attested by the damning evidence of their own 
reports. An English colonel boasts of having forced his wretched 
prisoners to hang each other. He teUs you how he put up a prisoner 
at four hundred yards as a mark for his riflemen. And then he says 
that nothing can endear a man to the Established Church so much as 
a campaign in Jamaica.*' — ThtMisswnafylferald, January, 1867, p. 3. 

Z 



338 The Disiurhances. [1866 

may be, not without reason. Detachments of the military 
are also sent to most of the principal towns on the sea- 
board, and, in some cases, into the interior — in some 
instances to the astonishment, and in others, as woald 
seem by Colonel Whitfield's letter to the Governor, to the 
displeasure, of the labouring population/' 

A month later, January 5th, 1866, Mr. Phillippo con- 
tinues his narration in the following letter : — 

*^ I have been kindly favoured with several of the English 
papers, and am rejoiced to learn from most of them that, 
while they naturally deplore and condemn the atrocities 
committed by the people on the authorities at Morant Bay, 
they condemn in still stronger terms the fearful massacre 
that has resulted from the means used for the repression 
of the riot, and that indignation has been roused throughr 
out the country by the cold-blooded murders that were 
perpetrated in the name of justice after the riot was 
quelled. 

*' I now set myself to the task of jotting down a few 
more particulars, which, coming from the neighbourhood 
of the late scene of slaughter, may not be uninteresting. 
We, even here, are yet without any very definite idea of the 
predisposing causes of the outbreak. They, however, 
appear to me more remote and more numerous than 
persons at a distance are aware of. Complaints have 
been made of the paramount influence of one family, 
which was used adversely to the interests of the people ; 
of injustice in the petty courts, of summary ejectments, 
of insufficient and unpaid wages, and many other annoy- 
ances or grievances too numerous to detail. These 
evidently culminated in the determination of the mis- 
guided mass to take the law into their own hands, and 
inflict summary punishment upon those they regarded as 
their oppressors. It does not appear that they originally 
intended to take away life, or to destroy or appropriate 



1 866] 7^ Disturbances. 339 

property ; their spirit of revenge was not aroused until 
fired upon by the volunteers or the police. 

** I must not, however, omit one or two other important 
considerations, tending to account for the dissatisfac- 
tion that appears to have prevailed in the minds of the 
peasantry in St Thomas-in-the-East, viz., Mr. G. W. 
Gordon's treatment by his Excellency the Governor for 
his complaints of the wretched condition of the prison, 
and of the conduct of some of the authorities — specially 
of the conduct of the Gustos in ejecting Mr. Gordon from 
his office of churchwarden, and the extmordinaty circum- 
stances of persecution that followed, all which, considering 
that it was the result of opposition to ihem^iYi^y regarding 
Mr. Gordon as their only friend— tended naturally to in- 
crease the dissatisfaction. 

" Nor was this all ; the only remaining friend they had, 
owing, it is said, to a complaint he, as a special justice, 
felt himself constrained to make of some exactions by 
individuals in office, and on some other accounts, was 
removed, so that they felt themselves abandoned to in- 
justice and misrule, saying they no sooner had a person 
upon whom they could look as a friend, or one to do 
them justice, than he was marked for persecution, disgraced, 
or driven to another parish.* Lastly, was their appeal to 
the Queen, whom, I have no hesitation in saying, the 
-whole coloured and black population adore, and the 
disappointment occasioned by the proclamation of the 
Governor, was the chief if not the principal cause of dis- 
satisfaction throughout the country. 

*' You need no additional details of the horrors that 
were perpetrated on the so-called rebels by the soldiers 
— Maroon and others of equal savagery — employed in 

* Mr. Crordon was removed from the magistracy by Governor Eyre, 
bat was reinstated by the Duke of Newcastle, the Colonial Minister at ^^ 
the time, under ctrcumstances of much hamiiiation to the Governor. 

Z 2 



340 The Disturbances. [1866 

executing summary punishment, or I might tell 70a of 
reports still more harrowing than any you have heard, — of 
men wantonly shot down from the roof of their houses 
when employed in repairing them ; of women stabbed, in 
their huts, with children at their breasts, or in other in- 
describable condition, the children dashed upon the 
ground and murdered — of men flogged, then hanged— of 
numbers paraded through the town to execution, with 
halters round their necks — and of still greater atrocities 
perpetrated in the woods and open fields. Suffice it to 
say that the perpetrators of these outrages have fixed a 
stain upon our country which nothing but their total con- 
demnation by the Government and country will wipe ont. 

'* I perceive that the Times and one or two other 
journals still persist in attributing the outbreak to the 
Baptists, notwithstanding the decided and palpable evi- 
dence that has been brought to bear by Sir Morton Peto 
and others against their assertions. Men with such pro- 
clivities as the editor of the Times no argument or amount 
of evidence would move to recantation. There are, how- 
ever, others who seem inadvertently to have fallen into 
the mistake of supposing that, while the Baptist mis- 
sionaries and their people, in connection with the Baptist 
Missionary Society, are exonerated from complicity in 
the riot, the native Baptists, or 'so-called Baptists' 
in the vocabulary of the Governor, were mostly its 
originators and agents. This also I consider myself 
warranted in sa3ang is a mistake. The greater number 
by far consisted of men connected with no religions 
society, Africans as ignorant and debased as in their 
native wilds, supplemented by Church of England men, 
native Methodists, and others. 

" As an evidence of the calumny that seeks to fix the out- 
break upon the Baptist body, even including all who bear 
that name, it is only necessary to contrast the number of 



1 866] The Disiurhances, 341 

that denomination, among the most respectable individuals 
that have been arrested on suspicion of complicity in the 
miscalled rebellion, with those belonging directly or indi- 
rectly to other communions, and which are as follows : — 

Three Baptists of the Baptist Missionary Society. 

Three native Baptists. 

Three Jews. 

One native Wesleyan. 

One United Methodist. 

One Independent. 

One Scotch Kirk. 

Twenty-six Church of England. 

Thirty and upwards Roman Catholics. 
Thus you will see the slender ground upon which our 
friends were arrested, had their papers rifled, and them- 
selves carried away from their homes and families and 
cast into a loathsome dungeon for weeks or months. Of 
the three Baptists first on the list, two have been acquitted, 
or rather dismissed without charge, leaving one only to 
take his trial before a commission on the 23rd inst. for 
imputed seditious expressions at a public meeting held 
five months anterior to the emeuie, 

** Of the other sixty or seventy; more than two-thirds, 
after all their losses and sufferings, were told that there 
were no warrants of detention against them. The residue, 
about six in number, are out on bail. 

" Among other doings which seem to have especially 
excited the indignation of your journalists and ' humani- 
tarians ' at home was the employment of the Maroons in 
the work of death. And with reason. Fancy them like 
blood-hounds in full cry upon the track of their victims, 
or like lions watching for their prey, crouching beneath 
the thick umbrage of the forest 1 But what will they 
think of the policy or humanity of trailing these men 
through the country, and of extolling and feasting them at 



34-2 The Disturbances. [1866 

festive boards? Past history has surely spoken to our 
rulers in vain, and the lessons of modem wisdom in 
statesmanship are equally lost upon them. 

** As to the plot that had been so deeply laid for the de- 
struction of all the white inhabitants in Kingston, in which 
the Haitian refugees were said to be implicated with a view 
to the transfer of the island to the rule of a new Haitian 
Republic, it has proved a mere fiction of the imagination. 
It had not the slightest foundation in fact It has 
altogether vanished as a dream, and such as were said to 
be the principal conspirators were acquitted of the charge. 
As if to confirm the report of an expected general rising 
of the people, an individual or two have been arrested on 
suspicion in several remote parishes, but nothing has 
been as yet disclosed that would lead to the suspicion 
that disaffection in an organised form existed beyond the 
limits of St. Thomas-in-the-£ast, if even much beyond the 
precincts of Morant Bay. And what, but to throw dust in 
the eyes of the British people, is the calling out of the volun- 
teers, special constables, and the police at the present 
holiday season, including an interval of two or three weeks? 
All is as peaceful around and everywhere as a stagnant lake, 
while our rulers, free from fear, have long betaken them- 
selves, alone and unprotected, to their isolated mountain 
homes, or to the calm quiet of their woods and fields. 

" Poor George William Gordon I my heart bleeds when 
I think of his untimely death. I cannot for a moment 
bring my mind to believe that he was in the least privy 
to the outbreak, or that any man could have a greater 
horror of such an outbreak. I believe him to be, and ever 
have done since I first knew him, now many years ago, a 
sincere, benevolent, and truly godly man. He was called 
enthusiastic, hypocritical, and many other names which 
have ever been applied by an ungodly world, and by 
unreasonable and wicked men in all past times, and as are 



i8663 The Disiurhances. 343 

even now applied, to the greatest of men and the highest 
ornaments of our country. The men who can stigmatise our 
Broughams and Gumeys, Buxtons and Petos and Morleys, 
as /x«i^49 - philanthropists and Exeter Hall humanity- 
mongers, and the noblest and best women in the country 
as a set of ' idle scandal-mongers/ are capable of any lan- 
guage towards such as condemn their conduct by their 
Christian zeal and exemplary and consistent lives. 

''Among other circumstances of a peculiar character 
that attended Mn Gordon's death, and which I have 
scarcely seen noticed, but which has made a deep impres- 
sion on the minds of hundreds of people here — which is 
said, indeed, to have induced the Maroons to desist from 
their work of blood — was the long-continued shocks of 
earthquake that occurred on the morning, and about the 
very hour or moment, of the execution. I was in my room 
at the time, almost petrified at the severity and length of 
the vibrations, though not knowing that this was the 
morning when the martyred spirit of xtky friend ascended 
to his blissful inheritance* ' Surely there is a God who 
judgeth in the earth.' " * 

*Lord Chief Justice Cockbum, in his charge to the grand jury in 
the case of The Queen v. Nelson and Brand, thus sums up his review of 
Gordon's case :— **No doubt a lamentable event has taken place. A 
man has been condemned, sentenced to death, and executed upon 
evidence which would not have been admitted before any properly 
constituted tribunal, and upon evidence which, if admitted, fell 
altogether short of establishing the crime with which he was charged." 
In a note he adds, '* No one, I think, who has the faintest idea of what 
the administration of justice involves could deem the proceedings on 
this trial consistent with justice, or, to use a homely phrase, with that 
fair play which is the right of the commonest criminal." — '< A Charge 
by the Lord Chief Justice of England, &c.'* (London : Ridgway, 1867), 
pp. 153, 165. The same view was taken by the Royal Commissioners. 
They say, ** The evidence, oral and documentary, appears to us to be 
wholly insufficient to establish the charge upon which the prisoner took 
his trial."— Report, p. 37. 



3 44 The Disturbances. [i 866 

The English Government lost no time in making 
arrangements for an exhaustive inquiry into these lament- 
able events. Sir Henry Storks, G.C.B., Rossell Gamey, 
Esq., Q.C., Recorder of the City of London, and J. B. 
Maule, Esq., Recorder of Leeds, were appointed Royal 
Commissioners to investigate the origin, nature, and 
circumstances of the disturbances, and the means adopted 
for their suppression. They arrived in Jamaica on the 
20th of January, 1 866, and the Commission was formally 
opened on the 23rd, the following Tuesday, and from that 
time till the 21st of March sat daily, without intermission, 
except on Sundays. They visited the scene of the 
disturbances and received the testimony of eye-witnesses 
and of persons of all classes able to throw any light on 
the subject of their inquiries. The accusations so freely 
made by Governor Eyre against Baptist missionaries, as 
well as one of the Secretaries of the Society, as having been 
more or less implicated in the outbreak, or at all events 
contributing to it by their letters and speeches, induced 
the Committee to engage the services of George Phillippo, 
Esq., who a few years before had been called to the Bar 
in England, and was now practising in Jamaica, to appear 
before the Commissioners on their behalf. No attempt, 
however, was made by Mr. Eyre to establish the charges 
he had so recklessly made, or, when challenged, to repeat 
them. In a letter which Mr. Phillippo addressed to Sir 
Henry Storks, conveying a memorial from all the Baptist 
missionaries, then in annual session in Spanish Town, 
requesting an opportunity of vindicating before the Com- 
missioners both themselves and the Secretary from the 
charges expressed or implied of being *' accessory to the 
riot at Morant Bay," they received the reply that his 
Excellency the President " could not accede to the request 
as no evidence had been given before the Commissioners 
affecting the character of Dr. Underbill or the Baptist 



1 866] The Disturbanas. 345 

missionaries in relation to the recent disturbances in St. 
Thomas-in-the-East." 

It must not, however, be forgotten that, by the seizure of 
their letters in the Post Office, and by listening to every 
foolish rumour in the island, the most active efforts had 
been made to find ''matter of wrong" against them. 
Mr. Phillippo records that persons were set ''as spies to 
note the principal persons who frequented " his residence, 
and, " as I was known to be a friend of Gordon's, it was 
presumed that I might have been in league with him and 
other promoters of the ' widespread sedition,' or rebellion, 
conjured up by Mr. Eyre and his half-demented aUxili- 
aries.** Happily, every attempt to implicate Mr. Phillippo 
and his brethren utterly failed, and Mr. Phillippo especially 
enjoyed frequent opportunities, in his intercourse with Sir 
Henry Storks and the other Commissioners, of knowing 
that their conduct was approved, and their character held 
in the highest estimation, by these gentlemen. As touch- 
ing these matters, they were blameless. There was not 
the shadow of excuse for the obnoxious and calumnious 
charges brought forward by Mr. Eyre in his despatches 
to the home Government. The ordeal through which 
the accused missionaries passed left their honour unstained, 
their integrity untouched, and their Christian character 
nndimmed. 

On the general question of the state of feeling among 
the peasantry, and their condition, several of the mission- 
aries, however, were called to appear. As Mr. Phillippo's 
evidence is very brief, the substance of it, as recorded by 
himself, may here be given : — 

" I am the oldest Baptist missionary, and, I believe, of 
any religious denomination in the island. I have been in 
Jamaica nearly forty-three years. My knowledge extends 
over the whole island, but I have not been to Morant 
Bay, in St. Thomas-in-the-£ast and Portland, until lately. 



«' 




346 The Disturbances. [1866 

I have been most acquainted during the last few years 
with the parishes of St. Catherine, the high lands of St. 
Thomas-in-the-Vale, St. Dorothy, and St. John. My 
knowledge of numbers of the people in these parishes has 
been intimate, having had, I may say, continual intercourse 
with them as a minister of the Gospel, and in various 
other ways as a pastor, and in my efforts to improve their 
social condition. I ^established the village of Sligoville 
and several others, and promoted education among the 
people by the establishment and support of schools 
during forty years. Sligoville, as a missionary station and 
village, was begun before the termination of the ap- 
prenticeship system. It is a very extensive village ; I am 
not certain as to the number of the population. The 
people, with scarcely an exception, are sober, peaceable, 
and industrious. There has never been a grog-shop in the 
settlement from the time of its first establishment to the 
present day. Not the slightest indication of disaffection 
appeared among the people, either at Sligoville or in any 
other part of the country with which I am familiar, either 
before the outbreak or during the time of the incitement 
caused by it, or since. The people were all most 
peaceable, quiet, loyal. Nothing occurred at any of my 
stations in the parishes I have named that excited in my 
mind the least suspicion of discontent with the constituted 
authorities, or of any intended disobedience to law. 
There might have been expressions of complaint on 
account of poverty and distress, but nope of disaffection." 
On the I St of March, Mr. Phillippo, accompanied by the 
Rev. Thomas Lea, started on a visit to the parish of St. 
Thpmas-in-the-£ast. This journey, which occupied about 
ten days, was undertaken at the request of the Jamaica 
Baptist Union, with the object of ascertaining the practi- 
cability of commencing a mission in Morant Bay and its 
vicinity. The subject had been earnestly pressed on Mr. 



1 866] 



TTie Disturbances. 



347 



Phillippo*s Attention by Sir Henry Storks, who also, on his 
return to England, had an interview with the Treasurer 
and Secretaries of the Society to urge upon them the 
same duty. Mr. Phillippo mentions that they came upon 
*' numerous evidences of the devastation occasioned by 
the late outbreak and of its repression, and many tales and 
sights of distress resulting from them exacted our sym- 
pathies with the sufferers." The issue of their inquiries 
was most encouraging, and, before the close of the year, 
the Committee placed at the disposal of the Jamaica 
missionaries a sum sufficient to establish stations in and 
around Morant Bay, and to maintain them in operation . 
for three years. The period of support was afterwards 
extended to seven years, and, under the energetic action 
of the Rev. W. Teall, to whose hands the work was com- 
mitted, efficient churches were established and suitable 
buildings purchased or erected at Morant Bay and 
Monklands. The mission in this district now embraces 
five stations and churches, under the superintendence of 
two native pastors, with a membership of i,o8o persons. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

HARTLANDS— 1866. 

While the Commission was sitting, an event occurred 
which illustrates in a striking manner some of the chief 
causes of the Disturbances, and, at the same time, the 
usefulness, activity, and tact of Mr. Phillippo. 

It was suddenly announced that a calamity^like that at 
Morant Bay was impending at a settlement called Hart- 
lands, about five miles from Spanish Town, and measures 
were taken, at the instigation of the partisans of Mr. 
Eyre, that threatened another " carnival of blood."* The 
narrative can, happily, be given in Mr. Phillippo's own 
words : — 

" The land on which this settlement was established be- 
longed to a merchant of the name of Hart, and comprised 
about 2,500 acres. The village was situated about five 

* Mr. Eyre immediately availed himself of this inddent to justify his 
proceedings at Morant Bay. In a letter he addressed to' Sir Henry 
Storks, on the 6th of April, after referring to the despatch of troops to 
Hartlands on the 14th of March, he says: — "This incident shows 
forcibly the state of feeling amongst the Negroes even now in respect to 
such questions [that is, the occupation of land] ; and as there are many 
cases very similar to that at Hartlands all over the island, but without the 
advantage of their being near the seat of Government, and within the 
immediate reach of a large military force, it is almost certain that great 
difficulty, if not disturbance, will arise wherever attempts are made to 
ascertain whether the Negro occupants have any legal right to the lands 
upon which they have located themselves.'' — ^Parliamentary Papers on 
Disturbances in Jamaica, February, 1866, p. 312. 



1 866] Harilands, * 349 

miles from Spanish Town. Almost immediately after the 
abolition of slavery, portions of this land, in an uncultivated 
state, were purchased by people principally from the neigh- 
bouring estates. 

" Some of these, at periods varying with their circum- 
stances, paid for their allotments and had their titles; 
some paid by instalments, and had receipts given them 
on that condition. The original proprietor, some years 
after, died, and his affairs were transferred to his son, 
or were left in the hands of executors on his behalf. 
This gentleman neglected his interests at Hartlands for 
nearly twenty years, hardly considering them, it is 
supposed, worth the time and attention they demanded. 
During this long period, trespasses were said to have been 
committed on the portions of the land unsold. The 
attention of the proprietor being at length called to the 
matter, the settlers were required to show the legality of 
their claims. Some few exhibited their titles, others their 
receipts, and others again declared that they had paid in 
full or by instalments for their purchases to an agent 
appointed by the original proprietor, who had absconded 
with their money, or, at least, had not accounted for it to 
his employer, and on various pretences gave them no 
acknowledgment. Many of the receipts, and some of 
the titles* were taken to the present owner of the unsold 
land, and lefl with him at his request, in order, as he 
represented, that he might have the opportunity of ac- 
quainting himself with the circumstances of the case as 
they related to each individual settler. Soon after — 
namely, in 1 862 — the great fire in Kingston occurred, in 
which these papers were consumed, together with the 
premises in which they were deposited. After the lapse 
of some years, during which the matter was again at rest, 
the proprietor or claimant sent a surveyor to survey the 
lands, including that portion of them which comprehended 



350 Hartlands. [1866 

the settlement or homesteads of the people. This was 
regarded by the latter, many of whom possessed titles and 
receipts, as an attempt to dispossess them indiscriminately 
of their holdings, in violation of their rights ; and they 
quietly, but determinately, resisted by forming themselves 
in line across the private road, for such it was, leading to 
the settlement, demanding of the intruders their authority, 
and signifying their determination to protect their rights 
by an appeal to law. On this account these people were 
denounced as squatters, thieves, robbers, factious outlaws, 
conspirators against lawful authority, &c. With equal 
untruthfulness also they were said to have possessed 
themselves of ammunition and firearms — to have thrown 
up barricades at every entrance to their settlement, &c. — 
reports which were proved to be utterly without founda- 
tion on the authority of the police s6nt to ascertain the 
truth ; and their settlement was stigmatised as the asylum 
or rendezvous of the refuse and scum of the population of 
the island — in every sense a real modem Alsatia. 

'' During the suppression of the outbreak at Morant Bay, 
or rather after the riot there had terminated, threats of 
exterminating the settlement at Hartlands by the military 
were common in Spanish Town, and that these threats 
would be executed as soon as they returned from St. 
Thomas-in-the-£ast. About this time I became accident- 
ally acquainted with two or three of the principal persons 
of the village, and, after referring pleasantly to the 
notorious character that was given them, I inquired if 
there would be any opposition by the people generally if I 
visited and preached to them. Fully assured to the 
contrary, I fixed the day, and met three or four hundred, 
who were most orderly, attentive, and courteous. This 
was before the riot at Morant Bay, and I repeated my 
visit immediately after the arrival of the Royal Com- 
missioners. In the midst of the sittings of the latter, I 



i866] Harilands. 351 

casually heard that a body of police, headed by the county 
inspector and accompanied by a surveyor, had repeated 
the attempt to survey the lands with a view of ejecting the 
inhabitants, and that the people, as before, although 
without any intention of resorting to force, as they 
declared at the time, besides being without any weapons 
of offence whatever, quietly, and even pleasantly, yet 
decidedly, refused permission for them to proceed. These 
gentlemen, after calling upon witnesses to prove op- 
position, returned to report to the authorities. The next 
morning, to my astonishment, I heard that a strong body 
of police and of the military were on their way to 
Hartlands, unknown to Sir Henry Storks, or at all events 
not by his order, and that another Morant Bay tragedy 
might be apprehended. I immediately hastened to 
Government House and offered my services to Sir Henry 
Storks to endeavour to influence the people to obviate 
such calamity by acquiescing in such an arrangement as 
would not jeopardise their rights. Sir Henry Storks at 
once acceded to my request, and, as no time was to be 
lost, a carriage was at once placed at my disposal by one 
of the Royal Commissioners. I overtook the police and 
military when within a mile or two from the settlement, 
told my object to the inspector of the police, and begged 
them to halt and not enter the village. I immediately 
mounted a horse, lent me by the inspector, and proceeded 
about two or three miles along the settlement, calling the 
inhabitants, who were standing in groups by their 
cottages, to meet me in the road on my return. Finding 
out the principal men, I urged my advice upon them, 
stating that I had authority to say their claims, if they 
bad any, would be considered, notwithstanding the survey 
that was to be made ; although my object was simply to 
prevent their ejectment, and the probable destruction of 
their, property, if not of life. They unanimously said, 



\ 



352 Harilands, [1866 

* Minister is our friend, and we will do what he tells ns. 
The surveyor can go on/ The people followed me in 
crowds, at my request, to announce this to the police and 
military, who had by this time advanced near the 
village, where they halted. I then urged their retan. 
They complied, on condition that I would guarantee the 
preservation of the peace» or be responsible for any 
adverse consequences. I agreed, and continued all day 
on horseback to fulfil my pledge. The soldiers returned, 
and peace and quietness were preserved. Danger did 
exist two or three times from provocations by some 
of the soldiers and others ; but that was ultimately 
obviated by my promise to those assaulted to present 
their complaints to his Excellency, which I did the next 
morning. 

'' On the following morning I ^aw the Governor, and 
communicated to him the occurrences of the day and the 
results, when I had the honour to receive his thanks. 
The affairs of Hartlands now shared the particular interest 
of his Excellency, he having repeated interviews with the 
deputations from the people. He arranged that the matter 
between the contending parties should be settled by 
arbitration. In the meantime the people were advised 
not to assure themselves too confidently that their hopes 
in this respect would be realised, but to provide against 
probable defeat by uniting their contributions to secure 
the services of a competent and respectable solicitor. 
The people failed to act on this advice, repeatedly given, 
partly, as they afterwards said, from inability to meet the 
expense, from having for years been drained of all their 
little means without ad vantage, and partly in the confident 
hope that the terms proposed by his Excellency the 
Governor would ultimately be acceded to. The matter, 
however, was successively postponed by the claimants, 
until Sir H Storks' functions as Governor ceased. In the 



1 866") Harilands, 353 

interval, as it would seem, between the departure of Sir 
Henry Storks and that on which a representation could 
be properly made to the new Governor, Sir J. P. Grant, 
the claimants, without apprising the defendants of their 
design, had applied to a court of law, and, there being 
consequently no representative of the claims of the people 
present on the occasion, judgment went against them by 
default, and a writ was issued for the summary ejectment 
of certain of the inhabitants from their houses and 
grounds. The deputy-marshal, surveyor^ and some 
police and other attendants lost no time in attempting to 
enforce the orders of the court. The parties concerned 
were thus taken by surprise, and the whole settlement 
thrown into commotion, apprehending that the purposes 
of their antagonists were now sought to be accomplished 
by stratagem. The executors of the law, therefore, were 
again civilly, but decidedly, opposed, those more immie- 
diately concerned insisting that the matter was to have 
been settled by arbitration, and that they had been 
anfairly dealt with by their opponents ; their feelings, at 
the same time, were somewhat provoked by the taunt of 
one of the attendants on the officials, that it 'was not 
Governor Storks' time now,' thus conveying the impression 
that an advantage had actually been taken of them, if not 
an act of injustice perpetrated towards them. 

''Representations of this renewed obstruction was at 
once made to the principal authorities of the parish, and 
a body of police was ordered to accompany the deputy- 
marshal and others, to compel obedience by force ; 
while it was rumoured that a detachment of military 
was ordered to be in readiness in the event of failure 
by the police. 

" At this stage, his Excellency Sir J. P. Grant signified 
his desire for an interview with me on the subject. I 
promised, as the result of his Excellency's representations, 

A A 



354 Hartlands. [1866 

- ■ ■ .. . » 1 . . 

and on a sufficient knowledge of all the circumstances 
then existing to enable me to act justly towards the 
opposing parties, to do all in my power to induce the 
people to yield to the requirements of the authorities. 
The documents were forwarded to me, and from them, 
added to some explanations from a party well acquainted 
with the subject in all its bearings, I resolved to prevent 
the apprehended disturbance at once. My purpose was 
to go in person to Hartlands to see the people collectively; 
but, subject as I had been for some time previously to 
serious indisposition, I was induced from this cause, and 
the inclement state of the weather, to send a messenger to 
request the principal people to come as a deputation to 
me in town, I purposing, at the same time, to go to them 
personally if necessary. About forty of them soon after 
arrived. I explained to them all the circumstances of the 
case, and urged their compliance with the terms proposed, 
especially as they included some favourable conditions I 
had recently secured by conferences with one of the 
opposing parties. 

** To these terms they unanimously acceded ; and each 
individually expressed his acquiescence in my proposal, 
all pledging themselves to allow the writ of ejectment to 
be executed without resistance or complaint. 

'* I immediately represented the promise thus made me 
to the Governor, and he ordered the detachment to return 
to Kingston accordingly. 

'* On the following morning the deputy-marshal, at my 
request, proceeded to the settlement alone and unarmed. 
And thus, unattended, he executed the writ, I only 
sending an intelligent person to see that no cause was 
given by either party for collision or dispute. On the 
evening of the day, both the deputy-marshal and the 
messenger returned and reported that the writ had been 
duly executed, and that without the slightest interruption. 



1 866] Hatilands, 355 

I annoanced this fact to his Excellency the Governor, and 
received his kind acknowledgment as follows : — 

" * Sir, — The Provost Marshal General having officially 
reported the peaceable execution of the writ of ejectment 
on the settlers at Hartlands, the Governor desires me, 
on this satisfactory conclusion of the business, to convey 
to you his cordial thanks for the assistance you have 
rendered on this occasion to the Government. 

** ' It is a matter of gratification to his Excellency, and 
it mast be so to yourself, that the people were induced 
voluntarily to obey the law, and without the exhibition of 
force on the part of the Government ; and he is sensible 
that your active personal exertions, and the pains you 
took to advise the people, and to explain to them their 
legal position, have very materially contributed to this 
satisfactory result. 

'' * I have the honour to be, your obedient Servant, 

" • Henry T. Irving.' 

*' At the time when the action of the military was ob- 
viated, as stated at the commencement of this narrative, 
Messrs. Harvey and Brewin, the deputation from the 
Society of Friends, were in Spanish Town, who, hearing of 
the circumstances, as also of the great destitution of the 
inhabitants of Hartlands (supposed to amount to upwards 
of 2,000, all ages) of religious and lettered instruction in 
regard both to themselves and children, as also their 
desire for these advantages, very kindly offered to give 
twenty pounds per annum for three years towards the 
support of a schoolmaster among them possessing the 
necessary qualifications as to piety and practical teaching. 
I almost immediately made arrangements for the estab- 
lishing of the school, very kindly aided as to some of the 
minor requirements by two or three proprietors in the 

neighbourhood. The scholars soon amounted to eighty, 

A A 2 



356 Harilands. [1866 

while adults in considerable numbers expressed them- 
selves anxious to avail themselves of the advantages to be 
offered by the proposed formation of a night or evening 
class. The school was thus commenced under very 
favourable circumstances." 

Subsequently a suitable school-house was built, and 
also a chapel to accommodate two hundred hearers. A 
church, however, was not formed till the year 1872, and it 
consists, at the present time, of rather more than seventy 
members. 



CHAPTER XXXVIIL 

EDUCATION AND DISESTABLISHMENT— 1866 to 1869. 

During his brief stay in Jamaica as a Royal Commissioner 
and the temporary Governor, Sir Henry Storks won 
golden opinions from all classes. This was fully ex- 
pressed in an address, prepared by Mr. Phillippo, and 
signed by upwards of three thousand of the inhabitants 
of St. Catherine's and the contiguous parishes. The 
personal and social character of his Excellency had no 
small share in reconciling differences and in promoting 
the harmony and good-will which, with few exceptions, 
prepared the way for the inauguration of the new system 
of government. 

On the recall of Mr. Eyre, which followed immediately 
on the presentation of the Report of the Royal Commis- 
sioners to the Queen, Sir John Peter Grant was appointed 
Governor, and arrived in the island in the first days of 
August, 1866. The new Legislative Council met for the 
first time on the i6th of October. It consisted partly of 
official personages and partly of prominent civilians 
nominated by the Crown, and its proceedings speedily 
displayed a striking contrast to the representative system 
which it superseded. All departments of the administra- 
tion underwent the severest scrutiny, and changes of the 
fcreaitest importance were rapidly introduced. District 
courts, under stipendiary magistrates sent from England, 
with improvements of procedure, ensured justice to the 
people, and not a liitle stir was made when it became 



^ 



35 8 Education and Disestabltshmeni, [}^^1 

distinctly clear that neither colour nor class could pervert 
or hinder the due administration of the law. ''These 
judicial changes," says the most recent historian of 
Jamaica,* "have had a marked effect upon the com- 
munity at large. Confidence in the rectitude of legal 
decisions is now general ; old abuses have been swept 
away, and simple, but effectual, remedies are provided for 
those who are compelled to have recourse to law." 

The taxes, at first rendered more burdensome in order 
to provide for the cost of the **^ Disturbances ** and the 
heavy deficits of preceding Governments, were modified 
and more fairly levied, the Governor seeking, through 
Mr. Phillippo, the aid of the missionaries to reconcile the 
people to this increase with the promise of ultimate relief. 
Mr. Phillippo's communication was addressed to the 
secretary of the Jamaica Baptist Union, the committee of 
which institution was then in session at Rio Bueno. It 
was dated March 30, 1867. After stating that it was His 
Excellency's desire to avoid either dissatisfaction or 
misrepresentation with respect to the new taxation, and 
his hope that the ministers of the denomination would, in 
a quiet and unostentatious manner, endeavour to quiet 
any discontent that might arise, he says that the increase 
was owing to the lavish expenditure of former Govern- 
ments, to the expenses incurred through the recent 
calamities, and to the formation of new courts of justice 
which would give ready and cheap redress to the 
labouring classes. As a compensation the taxes would be 
more equally levied, and many beneficial reforms be 
introduced, such as a system of education, which would 
have in view the welfare of all classes, even the poorest 
His Excellency deeply regretted the necessity for these 
new imposts, but ultimately the people would reap an 

* Gardner, p. 498. 



«..- 



1867] Education and DisestahlishmenL 359 

ample return from the changes that would ensue. ** I 
need make no apology to my brethren/' he concludes, 
^ for consenting to become the medium of this communi- 
cation. My residence in Spanish Town naturally led His 
Excellency to avail himself of my services for this 
purpose." 

The promise of alleviation in the burdens of the people 
has been amply fulfilled, and in later years the revenue, 
partly aided by the improving condition of the country, has 
been found more than sufficient to meet the expenditure. 
The debt of the colony has been reduced,* and many 
useful institutions, such as hospitals and dispensaries, have 
been established from the annual surplus. Savings 
banks have been placed on a permanent basis, and the 
defalcations of former years checked. The post-office 
and the roads have undergone great improvement, and 
immigration has been brought under more effective 
control. 

But the greatest and most important of the changes 
introduced by Sir John P. Grant were the disestablish- 
ment of the English Church and the introduction of a 
system of elementary education for the entire body of the 
people. The latter was among the first of the many 
subjects which engaged the attention of the Governor. 
In September, scarcely a month after his arrival, Mr. 
Phillippo records that, " having been introduced to Sir 
John P. Grant by Sir Henry Storks, I was favoured with 
frequent opportunities of intercourse with him. On the 
6th of September, after kindly acknowledging the receipt 
of my volume on Jamaica, he expressed his desire for my 
opinion on the subject of education, when the question 
came up before the Council. His Excellency soon after 

*The public debt in 1867 was a trifle less than j^; 19,000. It was 
reduced in 1877 to a little more than ^^485,000. Since 1868 the 
addition to the taxation has been little or nothing. 



360 Education and Disestablishment, [}^^1 

requested me to call upon him on that and other matters." 
A circular addressed to the ministers of all the religious 
bodies in the island quickly followed, forty copies of 
which were sent to Mr. Phillippo for distribution among 
his missionary brethren. To this he replied in a long 
and elaborate letter, giving the results of his experience 
and practical knowledge during forty years. 

The new regulations were placed in the hands of the 
Legislative Council in July, 1 867, and were adopted, with 
a few modifications suggested by Mr. Phillippo and others. 
The old House of Assembly had for many years devoted 
some /'i,40o or /'ifSoO a year to the purposes of educa- 
tion, but the grants were made to a few favoured institu- 
tions only, while nothing was done to promote instruction 
among the masses of the population. The principles of 
the new system were those with which Sir J. P. Grant was 
already familiar as an old East India Governor, and which 
were laid down for the promotion of education in India 
by the celebrated despatch of Sir Charles Wood in 1854. 
It was a system of grants-in-aid, apportioned to the 
position of the school as to numbers and the attainments 
of the scholars, as tested in an annual examination by 
Government Inspectors, judged by certain standards fixed 
from time to time by the administration. 

Up to this time the schools under missionary superin* 
tendence were for the most part independent of Govern- 
ment assistance ; in the case of Baptist schools universally 
so, from conscientious objections to any kind of State aid, 
which would have carried with it a certain measure of 
interference with the religious instruction imparted in 
them. Not a few also thought that education, like religion, 
was better left to the voluntary efforts of Christian men. 
These had been the views of Mr. Phillippo in the early 
years of his ministry. But the regulations now adopted 
were so comprehensive and liberal in their scope, so 



1867] Education and Disesiablishment. 361 

free from attempts or prospect of interference with the 
religious principles of the managers of the schools, that 
in a short time the most ardent voluntaries gave way, 
and the Government school Sjrstem was accepted through- 
out the island. It has ptoved a great success.* At the 
time of its establishment in 1867 there were 329 element- 
ary schools in the island, for the most part conducted by 
the ministers of religion. That useful superintendence 
has not been withdrawn, but the mission-schools are now 
everywhere merged in the Government system. In 1878 
there were 617 schools under inspection, with a registered 
body of 51,488 children attending them, and the character 
of the schools has greatly improved.f 

The excessive proportion of the revenue appropriated 
to the support of the Episcopal Church did not escape 
the attention of the Royal Commissioners, and among 
Sir John Peter Grant's earliest measures to avert the 
bankruptcy which threatened the country was one already 
suggested to Sir H. Storks by the Bishop of Kingston^ 
which threw the miscellaneous charges connected with 
Church services on the voluntary contributions of the 
congregations. A saving to the State was thus effected of 
about /^7,ooo a year. Some reforms were also introduced 
in the appointments of the clergy, and several livings in 
places where their services were not required were left 
unfilled. Still the entire charge of the Establishment, 
notwithstanding these reforms, remained at about /^4o, 000 

* An interesting proof of the growing influence of education is seen 
in the quantity of books imported. In 1866-67, the value of the 
importation wasj^624 ; in 1876-77, ;^9,628. 

t In 1B68, the first year of the new system, only 96 schools could 
be classed out of the 286 submitted to inspection ; in 1878, out of 
617 schools, only 44 were left undassed. The expenditure of the 
Government on elementary education is now litde short of j^20jOOO a 
year. 



362 Education and Disesiabltshmenf. C'^^7 

a year. The system was so ill-managed that, in the 
judgment of the Governor, less than half the money 
would have afforded a better result than Ihat which was 
secured by this large outlay. " Practically, the clergy were 
under no effective control ; for if they avoided gross 
offences they could not be corrected. Several of them 
were physically incapacitated, bat none could be forced 
to retire. There was no retiring pension. Whilst the 
Establishment could boast of many excellent, hard-working, 
and useful men, there were some upon it whose usefulness 
was as nothing, or as next to nothing. For such cases 
there was no remedy. Whilst at some places there were 
more clergymen than were wanted (an all but empty 
church being sometimes found close to a fully attended 
meeting-house), extensive and populous tracts of country 
were left destitute of all religious instruction of any 
sort. Such being its condition, that the Established 
Church was in discredit was not surprising.''* Besides 
all this, the number of adherents claimed as belong 
ing to the Church of England, and which included 
nearly all the white population. Tor the most part well 
able to support their own religious institutions, did 
not number more than a twelfth part of the entire 
community*! 

The expiration of the Clergy Bill at the end of the year 
1869 presented a favourable opportunity for a considera- 

* Jamaica Gcuette, December 18, 1869. Despatch from Sir J. P. 
Grant to Earl Granville, dated July 23, 1869. 

t Sir J. P. Grant estimated the population of Jamaica at 460,000 
souls. The clergy claimed as their average congregations 3 1 ,638 persons ; 
the Nonconformist communities an average attendance of 80,896. 
According to the Bishop of Kingston, the number of persons under the 
charge of Nonconformist ministers was 200,000, which the Govemor 
thought was about the correct figure. On the other hand, it was 
an excessive estimate to take the entire body of adherents to the 
Establishment at 100,000. — Jamaica Gazette^ December 18, 1869. 



*•: 



n. "V" 



1868] Education and Disesiahlishmeni, 363 

tion of the entire question of State support ; and accordingly 
the Jamaica Baptist Union, at their meeting in 1866, in 
anticipation of it, requested Mr. Phillippo and his son-in- 
law, the Rev. W. Claydon, to open communications with 
other Nonconformist bodies on the island, and also with 
the Liberation Society of England, for the purpose of 
organising an opposition to its renewal. Petitions and 
memorials to the Queen and to the Governor were pre- 
sented, in which it was urged that there ought to be no 
renewal of the Clergy Act, but that on its expiring the 
churches of the people of Jamaica should be left to the 
action of the voluntary principle. The petition of Mr. 
Phillippo and his congregations argued that the connec- 
tion between the Church and State was hostile to liberty 
of conscience ; was unjust to all other denominations in 
the island ; that it was unnecessary as well as inexpedient, 
impolitic, and inequitable, from the inefficiency of the 
clergy and their cost ; that it was contrary to the teaching 
of Holy Scripture ; and that it was opposed to the best 
interests of Jamaica as much as the disestablished Church 
of Ireland had been to the inhabitants of that country. 
Thousands of suitable tracts, furnished by the Liberation 
Society, were scattered throughout the island ; and at its 
expense a large edition of a series of letters, published in 
the first instance in an island newspaper by Mr. Phillippo, 
was issued. These letters, in their collected form, were 
entitled, "The Practical Working of the Voluntary 
Principle in America ; or. Facts for the Episcopalians of 
Jamaica." It had a wide circulation, and is marked by 
that fulness and accuracy of information which is a 
striking feature of all the author's productions. It was 
from no special hostility towards Episcopalians, he says, 
that he had taken part in the controversy. " I only object 
to the connection of their denomination, as I should to 
any other, with the State — to the support of its ministers 



364 Education and Disistahlishment, [1868 

and its institutions from the public revenue, and to the in- 
justice and hardship suffered by Nonconformists, who 
compose three-fourths of the population, and who are 
mostly of the poorest, in being compelled to contribute 
towards the church of the wealthy, while they at the same 
time feel it their duty to support their own establish- 
ments." 

Writing to a friend on the 8th of October, 1868, Mr. 
Phillippo gives a very lively account of the agitation in 
progress. ' *' We Baptists have been inundating the 
Council Chamber with petitions against the renewal of 
the Clergy Act, soon to expire, and for the entire separa- 
tion of Church and State, We possibly have gone too far 
in creating such a clamour so long before the matter is 
likely to come before the Council, but it will show our 
friends at home that we are alive to our condition and 
rights. We are emphatically the fighting sect. Some 
others cheer us on, but seem afraid of sharing the obloquy 
and labour of the first onset with us. Our Presbyterian 
brethren have shown their sympathy with us in combination, 
but our Independent brethren are slow in taking the field. 
From the Wesleyans we have no hope of aid at present. 
I am not sanguine about the total disestablishment of the 
Church, but I see that the subject assumes an improved 
aspect in the minds of the higher classes here, who are 
mostly Presbyterians and Jews." 

The struggle was not confined to Jamaica. In 
England, in 1868, Mr. Mills obtained from the Con- 
servative Government of the day a measure, which passed 
without opposition, to withdraw on the deaths of the 
recipients the grants amounting to/^20,300 annually paid 
out of the Consolidated Fund for the ecclesiastical 
establishments of the West Indies, of which /'y, 1 00 fell to 
the share of Jamaica. The Bishop of Jamaica was non- 
resident, and, till his death in 1872, never visited the 



t 




1869] Education and Disesiahlishmeni, 365 

diocese from which he gained his title and salary of 
/*3,ooo a year. • In June, 1869, two deputations waited 
upon the Colonial Secretary, with whom the decision 
virtually rested, one consisting of Presbyterians from 
Scotland, the other composed of members of various 
Dissenting bodies and of persons specially interested in 
Jamaica. For some time it had been understood that the 
English Government contemplated a system of ''con- 
current endowment ; " but this idea found no favour 
either with the Governor of Jamaica or with the Non- 
conformists. In November Earl Granville definitely 
informed Sir J. P. Grant that '* concurrent endowment '' 
must be regarded as impossible, and that even the mild 
proposal of the Governor to support schoolmasters in 
outlying districts of the island, who, though not ostensibly 
ministers of the Gospel, should devote their spare time 
and their Sundays to the religious instruction of the 
people, could not probably be adopted, because of the 
opposition it would excite. 

At length, on the loth of December, the Governor 
announced to the Legislative Council a measure for the 
complete disestablishment of the Church of England in 
the colony, subject only to the continued payment of the 
stipends of the clergy during the lives of the existing 
incumbents. Disestablishment in Jamaica presented no 
question of difficulty. There were no Church lands or 
funds belonging to clerical corporations. There were no 
tithes, nor any funds whereby an income was assured to 
the holder of any ecclesiastical office. Even the churches, 
rectory-houses, and glebes were the property of the State ; 
so that the only support of the clergy was derived from 
salaries paid out of the taxes, under temporary laws, 
renewable from time to time at the pleasure of the 
Legislature. There were, therefore, no vested interests to 
be provided for. It was simply for the Legislature to 



366 Education and Disestablishment. [1869 

withhold the customary appropriations, or to continue them 
on such terms as they pleased.* 

In a letter addressed to the Re'v. F. Trestrail, one of 
the Secretaries of the Society, on the 20th of December, 
Mr. Phillippo reports the decision of the Legislative 
Council. "I have to inform you, and I do so with a 
degree of pleasure I cannot express, that the union 
between Church and State in Jamaica is dissolved. His 
Excellency the Governor met the Council a few days 
since, and laid before them a voluminous correspondence 
between himself and the Secretary of State for the 
Colonies on the subject. 

" It was rumoured, both fn England and in this island, 
that the Governor had recommended ' concurrent endow- 
ment' in his despatch to the home Government. This 
is now ascertained to haVe had no foundation in truth. 
The surmise, however, may be in some measure accounted 
for from the fact that, from the gloomy representations 
made to his Excellency of the vast numbers of people in 
the interior parishes relapsing into barbarism, &c., he 
proposed — in the belief that such people were unable or 
unwilling to remunerate ministers for their services, and 
to build the necessary places of worship — that ministers, 
of whatever denomination, who settled among them 
should be aided in their support, and in the -erection 
of the churches and chapels required. 

'^ His Excellency seems to have been of opinion that, 
under such circumstances, little or no objection would be 
made, even by Nonconformists, to an arrangement of the 
kind, and so expressed himself to the noble Earl at the 
head of the Colonial Department. The Earl, although 
questioning the concurrence of the Dissenters in such a 
measure, signified his willingness to acquiesce in the 
scheme, if concnTTence on the part of Nonconformists 

• Sir J. P. Grant's despatch in ^^maiem Qaame^ par. 4. 



1869] Education and Disestablishment, 367 

was general, but that he would await the result with some 
anxiety. 

*' Afler the meeting of the Council a note was forwarded 
to the mission-house, marked ' Immediate/ expressing 
his Excellency's wish to see me. It was Saturday, and I 
had already gone up to Sligoville for the Sabbath. I 
returned early on Monday morning and waited on the 
Governor. He informed me of the particulars of the 
correspondence above referred to, stating that it was still 
his firm belief that the Nonconformists, under the cir- 
cumstances, might accept Government grants for destitute 
localities. I replied unhesitatingly that no Dissenters 
on the island would accept Government pay for any such 
purpose, as the acceptance of such pay involved an 
abandonmentof their principles, which they held inviolably, 
being founded on the Word of God. I added that I was 
assured not one minister of the three denominations 
connected with home societies would receive a penny for 
exclusively religious purposes, and that I thought I could 
state with equal certainty, from what I had heard, that 
the Wesleyans were equally firm in their repudiation of 
such aid for such purposes. 

*' His Excellency then said that settled the matter, as, if 
the difierent denominations were averse to the proposal, 
he felt he had no alternative than to fall back upon the 
voluntary principle. At this he expressed his regret, as 
in that case he could not see how the thousands referred 
to as being uncared for could be reached." 

Considerable discussion then ensued between Mr. 
Phillippo and the Governor on the practicability of 
employing schoolmasters as missionaries to meet the 
wants of destitute districts, and on this point Mr. Phillippo, 
at the Governor's request, opened a correspondence with 
some of his brethren. In a few days it became apparent 
that the assent of the Nonconformist ministers to this 



368 Education and Disestahlishnunt, [1869 

— — ■■.■■, , ^ 

saggestion could not be obtained, and that it would be 
repudiated as involving equally with " concurrent endow- 
ment " a violation of their most cherished principles, and 
be opposed as inimical to the rights of the tax'payers at 
large. Under these circumstanced the Governor felt that 
he must decide on complete disestablishment and dis- 
endowment, for in no other way could the equality 
insisted upon by the parent Government be secured. 

Thus was accomplished an event which, sajrs Mr. 
Phillippo, in his report to the Jamaica Baptist Union, 
assembled at Kingston on the loth of July, 18709 ''will 
be regarded as one of the most important events bearing 
immediately on the cause of God that has ever occurred 
in the history of the island— such, indeed* as excites both 
our astonishment and gratitude. It has been evident 
that, in this conflict of truth and righteousness against 
unrighteousness and oppression. Almighty God, whom no 
stratagems can baffle and against whom no combinations 
can succeed, has been on our side, and to Him alone be 
all the glory." 

This subject may be dismissed with the gratifying 
remark of Sir J. P. Grant, in the despatch already quoted, 
*'that it is but justice to all communions to say that 
nothing could be better than the spirit in which this great 
question has been agitated here. This acknowledgment 
is due equally to Conformists and Nonconformists, to 
ministers of religion and lajmien.*' 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

THE AGED PASTOR— 1868 to 1869. 

Thb public events of the years 1865 to 1869, while thej 
occupied a considerable portion of Mr. Phillippo's time, 
were not suffered to abstract too much from his more 
distinctly spiritual and congregational duties. It is 
matter for surprise that, with many indications of the 
weakening influence of age, he was yet able to undertake 
the amount of work that he accomplished. His schools, 
his Sabbath exercises, his numerous class- and prayer- 
meetings, were maintained with almost unvarying 
regularity, nor did he hesitate to enlarge the sphere of 
his operations when circumstances seemed to require. 
He was ever ready to labour, even beyond his strength, 
where the welfare of his fellow-men and the salvation of 
souls were at stake. At the beginning of 1 868 he opened a 
portion of the buildings of the Metropolitan schools for 
industrial instruction, and readily assumed the spiritual 
and educational charge of the new station at Hartlands. 
He -also actively co-operated with the president and com- 
mittee in the removal of the Calabar Institution to King- 
ston, which took place in 1868. 

On the 14th of October, 1868, he entered on the 
seventieth year of his age, and a selection from the 
entries in the diary of the year will best illustrate 
both the extent and the indefatigable nature of his 
exertions* "This," he sajrs, '*is the commencement 
of my seventieth year. What a host of long-slumbering 

B B 



370 The Aged Pastor. [i868 

recollections does this day awaken ! Through mercy, mj 
health is good, but my anxieties and labours are sometimes 
depressing, and almost overwhelming. May I increasingly 
feel strength given me from on high equal to my dayl" 

"November 17th. — A missionary meeting was held this 
day, when my son Cecil occupied the chair, which was a 
truly gratifying sight to me and the people who were 
present. The congregation was overflowing. The 
brethren engaged were Messrs. East, J. £. Henderson, 
Clarke, of Jericho ; Clark, of Brown^s Town ; Millard, Clay- 
don, Fray, Roberts, and Edwards. It was an admirable 
meeting; closed at ten o'clock. On the following 
morning I attended business connected with the Calabar 
Institution, as also on the following day, when the site of 
the college building was decided upon, and other im- 
portant matters were finally arranged. I had reason to 
be satisfied that my views respecting the site of the 
college and other buildings were approved and acted 
upon." 

*' December 1 5th. — After morning exercises and break- 
fast went to Jones's Penn to marry a couple. Met there 
several backsliders, and talked to them seriously for a long 
time, before and after the ceremony — I trust with some 
effect. The pair were respectable of their class, the man 
a shoemaker. I found Bunyan's ' Pilgrim's Progress, 
* Holy War,' and other religious books on their centre 
table. They had both been educated in the Metropolitan 
Schools, and could read and write well. On returning to 
town called at Government House, but the Governor not 
in town." 

" December 20th. — ^At Spanish Town. The congrega- 
tion scant, which grieved me. I thought at first I could 
not preach I had prepared notes which I hoped would 
enable me to preach earnestly, faithfully, a sermon which 
I wished for a larger congregation to hear. If, however. 



1 868] The Aged Pastor. 371 

it did good but to a few it will not have been preached in 
vain. Went to Hartlands after the morning service in the 
poaring rain. It continued all the way. Found only 
about a dozen people. Rained on returning. Reached 
home at dark, and went at once into the pulpit." 

<* December 22nd. — Suffered much from neuralgia for 
several days, and am still suffering ; but rose as usual at 
peep of day, and after an hour's occupation in reading a 
devotional dissertation of a good old author and attend- 
ing to some other matters, went again to Kingston to 
inspect the work done at East Queen Street." 

'* Christmas Day. — ^A prayer-meeting at six o'clock as 
usual. At eleven had prayer-meeting and church-meeting. 
At the latter, the low financial condition of the church 
was a subject of serious consideration. Dined to-day at 
our son's house with our own family only." 

'* December 26th.~-Adjoumed church*meeting, ex- 
amined twenty-one candidates for baptism. Received 
them, and was glad to find that they had more intelligent 
knowledge of the great doctrines of the Bible than any 
others I had previously examined. To be baptized on 
the morning of New Year's Day." 

"December 28th. — Having promised to assist Mr. 
Claydon at his missionary meetings at Four Paths, I 
proceeded after service on my journey, hoping to get to 
Saxony, his residence, that evening. The hired horse 
refused to draw, and the other, my own, was already 
fagged from the badness of the road. With this one 
horse I reached Rosswell. The night was dark, the road 
dangerous, and my horse was knocked up. I called up a 
cottager by the side of the road, and requested shelter for 
the night. He said that he could not offer it, his cottage 
was so mean; but putting some chairs together, and 
rolling myself up in my cloak, I lay till about three 

o'clock. Then putting my trusty steed into the buggy, he 

B K 2 



372 The Aged Basfor. [1869 

having had a bundle or two of grass for his refreshment, I 
reached Saxony before the family were up, to their 
astonishment and gratification. After breakfast went to 
the meeting at Four Paths and Jubilee. On the following 
morning was at Porus, and thence to Mandeville. All the 
meetings were in every respect good.'* 

"January ist, 1869, Spanish Town. — At t^e close of 
the watch-night service I retired to my chamber, and 
threw myself on my bed with my clothes on, and after a 
few intervals of sleep, as the service was being carried on 
by the deacons and others, I rose, and at four o'clock 
returned to the chapel, which was crowded with an 
orderly congregation, and again addressed them. At 
half- past four we proceeded to the river-side. There the 
gathering was immense. After an address of twenty 
minutes, I baptized the twenty-nine candidates. The 
occasion was deeply interesting and solemn, the vast 
assembly conducting themselves with the greatest de- 
corum," 

" Another new year I How quickly life passes on ! 
Once it seemed to me to walk leisurely onward ; then it 
ran ; now to fly swiftly towards eternity, like a ball rolling 
rapidly down a steep hill. May I reach the goal in safety, 
trimming my lamp, and continue to give myself to Him 
who bought me with His blood, until my work is done 
and my warfare is accomplished." 

" January 9th. — Superintended the voluntary efforts of 
about twenty members of the church in cleaning the 
burial-ground. They worked cheerfully and well, several 
of the female members having subscribed to provide a 
hearty meal for them. Afterwards, though very tired, 
went to Orange Grove for the coming Sabbath. The 
following day being rainy, had but a small congregation.** 

"January 31st. — ^Attended prayer-meeting at six o'clock 
a.m., and started at nine for Passage Fort Had an excel- 



1869] The Aged Pas/or. 57* 

lent congregation and school. Addressed the children^ 
and preached from the parable of the barren fig-tree. The 
deacons, not liking that the rooms used for the occasional 
residence of the pastor and his family should be occupied 
bj the school, and the master and his wife, propose 
erecting a separate residence for them. I was but too 
glad to express my approbation of the proposaU'' 

" February lyth.-^When about to start to Orange 
Grove, I received a message from a poor young woman 
from the country to see her as she was dying. She was 
once in the school and a member of the church. I 
talked and prayed with her. Addressed myself, also, to 
several thoughtless, ungodly women who crowded into 
and around the house. On mounting my horse the 
stirrup broke and I was obliged to return home. After 
some delay I reached my destination.'* 

" February 22nd.— Went to the. court-house and was 
welcomed by the judge, who gave me a seat beside 
himself. He said he wished to see me there sometimes 
during the sessions, as my presence had a salutary effect 
on the tongues and tempers of some of the violators of 
the law and on the loungers at the bar. Crime is evidently 
much diminished, and I was struck with the fact that 
hardly ever was a person connected with our mission 
churches found among the delinquents." 

"March 28th. — Started to Old Harbour at a very 
early hour, accompanied by brother Clark, to assist at the 
opening of the chapel there after extensive repairs; 
Brother C. preached in the morning, and self in the 
evening. The chapel has not only been extensively 
repaired, but new modelled, and is now one of the neatest 
and most attractive places of worship in any of the rural 
districts of the country. It is a real ornament to the 
village." 

'* May 14th. — ^Went over to Kingston to take part in 



374 The Aged Pastor. [1869 

the recognition services of brother East. The service 
took place in the evening. Representatives of various 
denominations were present. Altogether it was a most 
interesting and impressive service ; the congregation, 
which was very large, was increased by the novelty of the 
occasion." 

"June I4tb. — Rode to Orange Grove by Osborne 
Bridge and Kensington, a long and fatiguing journey. 
Met an old black woman near a hamlet named Trial, 
who asked me to visit her daughter. She was very ill. 
Talked faithfully to her, as also to several neighbours who 
had gathered round the house. They had forsaken the 
house of God, and seemed to regret their present 
condition. They promised to remember from whence 
they had fallen and do their first works." 

, " July 24th. — Brother Hewett, being in Spanish Town 
for two or three days, drove my dear wife up to Orange 
Grove. She has not been here for many months, being 
unable to sit on horseback. They arrived in safety, 
though the roads were rugged and in some parts 
dangerous. We spent the afternoon in strolling on the 
green sward among the orange and other fruit trees, and 
the evening in talking over occurrences and scenes of early 
life, and the encouragements and discouragements of 
recent times. This visit of our friend was very grateful, 
as it enabled me and my beloved partner to avail our- 
selves of a respite from constant and oppressive duty, 
which we so much required. The following day we 
visited Kensington and other places in the neighbour- 
hood, which pretty much exhausted our physical energies. 
The evening was spent in the portico looking into the 
garden, still enjoying the reminiscences of old scenes, 
old friends, and old times." 

"July sth. — Received a letter from Dr. Underbill in 
reply to one from me, relating to my relief from a part of 



i8b9] The Aged Pastor. 375 

my labours, and to which the Committee, with warm 
expressions of esteem, have at once consented. Next to 
the approbation of God and my own conscience, I, as 
most others do, and should do, value the good opinion of 
good men." 

"July 19th.— Rose after a restless night in a feverish 
state of body. My work is evidently too much for me, 
and begins to affect me sensibly. Made arrangements 
for opening a school-room at Hartlands, and for an ex- 
amination of the Metropolitan School." 

"August I St — Baptized ten persons in the river near 
Tumbull's Penn. A vast congregation present. Returned 
to Spanish Town for service at eleven o'clock. The con- 
gregation very large, and I preached with more than usual 
freedom and, I think, earnestness. Afternoon— the Lord's 
Supper, and received the baptized and seventeen others 
into the church." 

"August 3rd. — The usual thanksgiving meeting. Tn 
the evening delivered a lecture on the progress of anti- 
slavery principles throughout the world." 

"August 4th.-^The usual annual festival of the children 
of the Metropolitan School. Went this year also to 
Cumberland Penn, four of the schools meeting there, viz., 
Hartlands, Passage Fort, Caymanas, and Spanish Town ; 
about three hundred children in number and five hundred 
adults. A very interesting day." 

"August 30th. — Received applications for aid from 
many persons in distress, widows entreating me to petition 
the Municipal Board on their behalf for relief from taxes ; 
from persons in gaol ; and from others for compensation 
for damages sustained in various ways, they having an 
idea that my advocacy of their claims is sure to secure 
their success. These and similar demands on my time 
are so numerous that I had need almost to keep a 
secretaxy to enable me to attend to them." 



376 The Aged Pas/ar. [1869 

" September 19th. — Preached in town at eleven o'clock 
and went to Hartlands at one. A terrible journey, amidst 
rain, mud, and stagnant water. On arrival, but few 
people present, except children, whom the mud did not 
seem to inconvenience. Arrived home late and found mj 
congregation waiting for me. Was much fatigued, but 
preached to a large congregation." 

** October 14th. — ^This is mj seventieth birthday. It 
being rather more than a common occasion among 
missionaries and a period beyond which the laws of 
nature and of God seldom suffer human life to be ex- 
tended, it was regarded with some special interest. 
My family, brethren, and friends, who were near at hand, 
spent the day with me. Many things were said, con- 
gratulatory of my dear wife, self, and family, much that I 
felt that I did not deserve. The evening was spent very 
pleasantly in singing, prayer, and Christian conversation, 
chiefly in recalling past events of personal histoiy during 
the seventy years of my pilgrimage and the seventy-sixth 
of that of my beloved wife* Here one seemed to stand 
upon the mount, and to review the way in which we have 
been led. But how little we could penetrate into the 
future I Shall we all see another decade ? or is this the 
last time we shall all meet on a similar occasion ? " 

** Blest is my lot, whatever befall ; 
What can disturb me, who appal, 
While as my Strength, my Rock, my AU, 
Saviour, I cling to Thee ? " 



CHAPTER XL. 

RETIREMENT FROM THE PASTORATE -1869 to 1872. 

It will have been seen that towards the middle of the 
year 1868 Mr. Phillippo opened commanications with the 
Mission Committee as to some relief from his arduous 
and incessant toil. Nearly two years, however, elapsed 
before the subject assumed a practical shape. Early in 
January, 1870, he had to mourn over the decease of his 
son-in-law, the Rev. W. Claydon. This lamentable 
event brought upon him for some months the charge of 
the churches in the extensive district covered by the 
labours of Mr. Claydon. He soon found it all but im- 
possible to meet the claims of the stations in Clarendon 
and Manchester besides his own, and with gladness sur- 
rendered his charge at the end of the month of May into 
the hands of the Rev. W. H. Porter, M.A., *' a good brother 
from Halifax, N.S., who had come to Jamaica for health." 
Mr. Porter's bad health, however, after fourteen months* 
trial, brought about his resignation, and again Mr. 
Phillippo was importuned by the people to supply such 
services as his manifold occupations would allow. Early 
in 1872 he was relieved from this heavy additional burden 
to his cares by the arrival of the Revs. Wm. Gummer and 
P. Williams, the one from Demerara and the other from 
Wales. ** I accompanied them," writes Mr. Phillippo, 
*' on the 12th of March, and some following days, to the 
stations and churches under my temporary charge and 



378 Retirement from the Pastorate. ['^7* 

care as trustee and pastor in Clarendon and Manchester, 
and introduced them to these churches, resigning my 
pastorate over them. The invitation of the churches was 
cordially accepted by these brethren, and they have 
entered upon their labours with cheering prospects of 
happiness and usefulness — brother Gummer at Four 
Paths, Jubilee, and Poms ; and brother Williams at 
Mandeville and Cabbage Hall.** 

But, although thus partially relieved from the weight of 
care which burdened him, his increasing years constrained 
him to think of retirement. Mrs. Phillippo's health also 
began to fail, and he sorely felt the loss of social inter- 
course which ensued on the removal of the seat of govern- 
ment frpm Spanish Town to Kingston. Many of his 
old friends were drawn off to the new capital. His eldest 
son with his family also was obliged to follow, while the 
congregation suffered in many ways, both from the dimi- 
nution of employment and the emigration to more 
prosperous places which the change necessarily brought 
about. Towards the close of the year (1871) he there- 
fore prepared for the Mission Committee a full statement 
of his position, and of the requirements which his pastoral 
duties laid upon him. It is dated October 14th. He 
says : *' I am now in the seventy-third year of my age, 
and my dear wife is verging on her eightieth year. I was 
received by the Society as a missionary student in 1819^ 
I mayt therefore, be considered as having been connected 
with it fifty-two years, and at the close of two more, if 
spared, I shall have been a missionary in Jamaica, and the 
pastor of the church at Spanish Town, full half a 
century. It has long been my hope and detennination, if 
possible, to remain firmly at my post to the end of this 
latter period at least. I have informed you at times that 
I felt the infirmities of age creeping upon me, as also that 
my labours and responsibilities were becoming too heavy 



187O Retirement from the Pastorate, 379 

a burden for me to bear without progressive diminution 
of health and strength, physically and mentally. To such 
a degree have I felt myself worn down by incessant 
labour and anzietyi during the last few months, that I have 
been compelled to think seriously about the necessity of 
circumscribing my efforts within narrower limits, thereby 
also to diminish my responsibilities and cares, as both my 
sight and hearing, and even voice as to compass, have 
begun sensibly to fail. My general health is good and 
my constitution sound ; with moderate labour and care, 
therefore, if life is mercifully spared, I may labour on use- 
fully for years to come. But it is evident to others, as 
well as to myself, that if not relieved of some of my 
duties soon I may render my future life useless and 
myself a burden." 

" I urge thus my growing infirmities as the principal 
reason why I think a change necessary, both with respect 
to myself and the church. But there are two or three 
other considerations which, while they have no influence 
in inducing me to seek the change I propose, indicate 
that it is desirable. I may premise that the contemplated 
alteration in my position and circumstances is not owing 
to any cause existing at any of the stations I occupy. 
The churches arc, and have been for years, in uninter- 
rupted peace. Many are being added annually to their 
number, and the congregations are everywhere increasing* 
Almost everything, indeed, is more encouraging than 
in fonner years, while, so far as \ can judge, I believe 
I have never enjoyed more fully the confidence, respect, 
and affection of the people at large." 

'* You may now perhaps ask me how my difficulties may 
be obviated, and my relief from a portion of my present 
numerous and arduous labours secured* I reply, by 
resigning the pastorate in whole or in part at Spanish 
Town, and of the stations at Passage Fort and Kitson 



380 Retirement from the Pastorate. C'^7* 

■ » ■ ' 

Town» together with all the minor appendages of such 
stations respectively, such as class-houses, &c., to a 
younger brother, I retiring to Sligoville or its neighbour- 
hood, and attending to some dark spots around, giving 
occasional services at Spanish Town " 

It did not require any prolonged consideration or 
correspondence on the part of the Mission Committee to 
meet the wishes of their venerable friend and fellow- 
labourer. On the 4th of January, 1872, he gratefully 
records that, in reply to his letter, '^ the Committee had 
cheerfully and unanimously agreed to give as an annuity 
all I proposed as necessary to support us comfortably in 
my retirement. The Committee did this, says the Secre* 
tary, in consideration of my long and faithful services in 
the mission.*' They warmly recognised the great services 
Mr. Phillippo had rendered to the cause of Christ in 
Jamaica, and his invaluable labours in the emancipation 
and elevation of its Negro population. 

At a very large gathering of the church on Good Friday, 
March 29th, he accordingly announced his intention to 
resign the pastorate of the above churches and stations on 
the following ist of August. The announcement was 
received with deep and loud expressions of regret, 
followed by a unanimous vote that ^' the resignation be 
not accepted." Many arguments were used by the 
deacons and others of the more influential members of 
the church to dissuade their minister from his purpose, 
and in the result Mr. Phillippo consented to remain the 
nominal pastor of the church till December, 1873, when 
he would have completed the fiftieth year of his ministry 
among them. Not without loud and general expressions 
of concern was this decision accepted. The crowd of 
members lingered long in the chapel and its precincts. 
They were losing, they said, not their minister only, but 
V their father and their friend; they had hoped he .would 



1872] Riiirement from iht Pastorate. 381 

never leave them until the Great Master above called him 
to his rest and his reward," so that they might have 
buried him among themselves and -mourned over his 
grave. 

In the month of May the church invited the Rev. Thomas 
Lea, of Lucea, to the pastorate, which he accepted, and 
on the 13th of August Mr. Phillippo, with his family, sur- 
rendered the mission-house to his successor, and left for 
the new home in a cottage that he had hired. ^'Thus," 
he records in his diary, " we bade farewell to the old house 
and premises occupied by us for nearly fifty years, and 
came to occupy Felstead Cottage in the outskirts of the 
town. It was not without many reflections that we thus 
retired to comparative privacy, and not without melancholy 
musings that we left the old abode, with all its associations 
of peace and turmoil, joy and sorrow. It is one of the 
most important events of my life, but one which I trust 
God has sanctioned." 

But if deeply moved on relinquishing so much of his 
life's work, it was a source of grateful feeling that ^e 
could report favourably of the promising state of things 
around him. In a letter to the Mission House, giving the 
particulars of the new arrangements, he sayfs, <' Our 
churches are in peace, the congregations increasing, and 
many, chiefly young persons, are inquiring the way to 
Zion with their faces thitherward. Hence additions are 
shortly to be made at Spanish Town, Sligoville, and Old 
Harbour, while two or three new schools have been 
established in previously destitute localities. Pious young 
men, as teachers, are breaking the bread of life on the 
Sabbath to hundreds hitherto perishing for want of it. 
Everywhere prospects with respect to religion, education, 
and morals are encouraging." 

His life had indeed been one of great usefulness and 
honour. What changes he had seen I How many events 



382 Rtiirtnunt from the Pasiorati. [1872 

most important in the history of his adopted comitiy had 
taken place, in which he had borne no inconsiderable 
share 1 What anxieties he had passed through to secare 
the harvest now so abundant around him! He might 
hopefully anticipate that his few closing years would pass 
in restful peace, and his joy receive no check. 



CHAPTER XIJ. 

THE JUBILEE OF HIS MINISTRY -1873. 

The interval between his partial retirement from the 
pastorate in March, 1872, and the jubilee of his 
ministry at Christmas, 1873, was filled up by Mr. 
Fhillippo with frequent services at the two or three 
minor stations that he retained under his own care. 
He also visited with his colleague the churches in 
Clarendon, taking part in the missionary meetings. 
His leisure hours were diligently employed on his auto- 
biography, and in completing his lectures on the West 
Indies, and on two manuscripts that he hoped to pass 
through the press, one on the " Claims of the World on the 
increased Benevolence of the Christian Church,*' and the 
gther on Prayer. This hope, however, was not fulfilled. 
On his removal from his old habitation he presented his 
well-selected library to the Calabar Institution. One 
great trial fell upon him and^his beloved wife — the death 
of their youngest son in the early morning of the i8th of 
November, 1872. He was the object of their warm 
affection and of many prayers, and, though there had been 
much to give them anxiety in the later years of his life, 
they were comforted by his dying words. He passed away 
expressing his confidence in God, a firm hope that " his 
sins were forgiven, and his entire dependence upon Christ 
for salvation." The funeral was necessarily performed 
before the close of day. '* Brethren East and Lea con- 
ducted the service amidst the sighs and tears of a very 



384 The Jubilee of his Ministry. ['87S 

large assemblage of spectators and friends. The bearers 
were young men of the church and congregation." 

For a few weeks before the daj fixed for the observance 
of the jubilee Mr. Phillippo was seriously ill, the result 
of being thrown from his horse down a precipice in the 
mountains. This was not the first accident of the kind he 
had met with during his numerous journeys among beetling 
rocks and unfrequented paths. But he was now seriously 
injured, and for some weeks compelled to keep his room. 
*' I was, however," he says, "much' gratified and cheered 
by notes of sympathy received from my brethren far and 
near, and among them one from good brother Clarke, 
who also anticipated the pleasure of being present at the 
celebration of the jubilee of my pastorate." 

This long-looked-for event took place on the 14th of 
January, 1874. Great preparations were made for its 
celebration. A large platform was erected on the 
grounds of his cottage, decorated with flags and cocoa- 
nut branches. Two tents were provided by the kindness 
of a friend for the accommodation of the assemblage. 
Preliminary services were held in the chapel and school- 
rooms, and there the children assembled to walk in 
procession, carrying flags and banners, to Mr. PhilHppo's 
residence. A similar display came from Sligoville. At 
eleven o'clock a very large number of friends arrived, 
coming from various distances of from ^-^^ to fifteen 
miles, all gathered to honour the venerable servant of 
Christ, and to testify to his usefulness and worth. On 
the platform might be seen not only his missionary 
brethren, but many of the higher class of the inhabit- 
ants of Spanish Town, among whom he had passed so 
many long years of labour, anxiety, and suffering. After 
an appropriate opening of the meeting by singing and 
prayer, conducted by the Rev. D. J. East, who occupied 
the .chair, an address from the church and congregation of 



1873] The Jubilee of his Ministry, 385 

Spanish Town, signed by the deacons, leaders, and mem- 
bers, and adopted at a full church meeting, was read by 
the Rev. Thomas Lea as the representative of the church 
on the occasion. It was as follows :^- 

** Dear Minister, — We, the undersigned deacons, 
leaders, and members of the Baptist church of Spanish 
Town and the adjacent stations, feel it our duty to convey 
to you our sentiments of gratitude and aifection. 

" Your long, arduous, and devoted labours amongst us, 
as churches, in the cause of our blessed Lord ; your un- 
tiring efforts for the promotion of the interests and wel- 
fare of the masses of the people amongst whom the wise 
Providence of our Heavenly Father has cast your lot for 
these fifty years past, and the distinguished and abundant 
usefulness to our fathers, and to us their children, lay us 
under greater obligations than any words of ours can 
express. We thank God on your behalf that you have 
been the honoured instrument in His hands to accomplish 
so much. Glory be to His great name ! 

** Reverend Sir,— Your retirement from the pastorate 
of the church at Spanish Town was keenly felt by us all. 
We know not how to express our sorrow in parting with 
you. You have been, not only a pastor, but a father to 
us, and we shall always remember you with love and 
gratitude. As we have told you before, we had hoped 
that nothing but death would have severed the tie which 
bound us to each other ; yet we feel that your advanced 
age justifies the step you have deemed it necessary to 
take ; we therefore sympathise with you, and feel obliged 
to submit. 

"And now, on this jubilee of your faithful ministry, we 

most cordially offer you our congratulations that you, and 

the beloved companion of your days, have so long been 

spared to live and labour in the Saviour's service. This 

fiftieth anniversary of your ministrations amongst us as 

c c 



386 T^e Jubilee of his Minhtty, ['873 

churches and people is a high day to us all, and not only 
to us, but to the inhabitants of this town and neighbour- 
hood, and not only to this town and neighbourhood, but 
to a large portion of at least this side of the island over 
which your evangelistic labours have extended. 

" We must also make mention of your zealous service 
in ^he cause of education. You have not only laboured 
for its advancement by the personal superintendence and 
oversight you have given to it, and by the establishment 
of schools in numerous places, but you have collected 
large sums of money in the mother country to aid in 
carrying on the good work of educating the young and 
rising race. 

'* May the Almighty Disposer of all events spare your 
valuable life and grant you days of greater usefulness; 
and that your last days be your best is the sincere prayer 
of your attached friends and people I " 

This address was followed by another, also read by Mr. 
Lea, expressive of similar sentiments from the church at 
Sligoville, still under Mr. Phillippo's pastoral oversight. 
Both these addresses were strictly the addresses of the 
people — prepared by themselves. Their former pastor 
read to them the reply which follows, under the influence 
of deep emotion, amid the flowing tears of many who, 
from earliest infancy, had sat under his ministry, and who 
were truly his own children in the faith of Christ. 

" My Christian Brethren and Friends, — Under the cir- 
cumstances altogether amidst which I now appear before 
you, I shall be believed when I say that I am deeply 
affected by the immense assemblage present, and with 
the sentiments contained in your address ; while I regret 
that I cannot command language equal to the warm 
emotions of gratitude I feel in my heart for the dis- 
tinguished honour you this day confer upon me. 

''At the same time, I trust I shall be thought equally 



1873] The Jubilee of his Ministry. 387 

sincere when I assure you that I feel unworthy of the high 
terms in which you speak of my character and usefulness. 
I therefore request you to regard my acceptance of your 
address more as a genuine expression of your kindness 
towards me personally, and of your sympathy with me in 
my great work as a Christian minister, than for the extent 
of usefulness. you have attributed to me. 

*'In my application to the Missionary Society to be 
employed under their patronage, I expressed my desire to 
exercise my ministry in any part of the world, and to 
occupy any sphere to which they might think proper to 
direct me. My destination was fixed for Jamaica, and 
Spanish Town was to be my sphere of labour. 

'* I arrived at my post, accompanied by my beloved wife 
at the close of the year 1823. Thus, more than half a 
century ago, I came to this town a stranger, with youth 
and experience little adapted to the anxious and arduous 
work I then ventured to undertake. Friends, however, 
though humble, in the course of time gathered around 
me, whose esteem it has been my honour and happiness to 
enjoy* I have had my afflictions, personal and relative, 
as well as difficulties, in the prosecution of my labours ; 
but, ' having obtained help of God, I continue unto this 
day,' while I can gratefully testify to the goodness and 
faithfulness of God that, if my trials have abounded, my 
consolations have abounded also. 

'^ About the time of my arrival, owing to several causes, 
more than ordinary hostility was manifested towards 
missionaries by a certain class throughout the island, of 
which I had to endure no inconsiderable share, being, 
among other annoyances, prevented by the authorities 
from entering upon my ministerial duties for several 
successive months. These obstacles were at length sur- 
mounted, and I at once entered upon my labours, though 
prosecuting them amidst long-continued oblQquy and 
persecution. c c 2 



388 The Jubilee of his Ministry. [1873 

" You have been kind enough to say that I have dis- 
charged the duties of my office with fidelity and zeal, and 
that my great work of preaching the Gospel, and gather- 
ing sinners into the fold of Christ, has been crowned with 
success. 

'* While, I trust, my feeble efforts for the promotion of 
the gloiy of God in the salvation and happiness of my 
fellow-men have not been in vain, I must, at the same 
time, acknowledge that my success has been, to a con- 
siderable degree, owing to the persistent and self-sacri- 
ficing co-operation of the deacons and others of my church. 
Any spiritually beneficial result of my own direct labours 
I ascribe to the ' Grace of God which was with me,' and 
can from my heart say, ' Not unto me, O Lord, not unto 
me, but unto Thy name be all the praise.' 

*• You have been pleased to refer to my efforts to pro- 
mote the temporal interests of the inhabitants of the town 
and other districts of the country by the establishment 
and support of schools, &c. While this was not a work I 
was requested to perform by the Society which sent me 
forth, and although I was informed by them that, if under- 
taken, it must be on my own responsibility, as they had no 
funds for appropriation to direct educational objects, yet, 
seeing the children of the poorer classes, bond and free, 
abandoned to ignorance and vice, I assumed the respon- 
sibility of establishing a day-school for them, providing 
for its support by the proceeds of a higher department 
conducted by myself, the former, as you kindly intimate, 
having continued in operation to the present day. 

*' Great, however, as have been the anxieties— I may say 
sacrifices — involved in the maintenance of this and other 
similar institutions throughout the district, through a long 
course of years, I have felt myself richly compensated by 
seeing the blessings that have resulted to the thousands 
who have participated in their advantages, numbers 



1873] The Jubilee of his Ministry, 389 

among whom have been qualified thereby for the duties of 
estate managers and the engagements of mechanical, 
commercial, and official life. 

** In the great social change occasioned by the abolition 
of slavery, I did not act so conspicuous a part as some of 
my brethren, owing to particular circumstances. It is, 
however, truly gratifying to me to know that I was regarded 
by many, both in England and Jamaica, as being no in- 
different worker in accomplishing the destruction of that 
monster evil, especially when, to secure its permanent 
dominion it aimed to interrupt the progress of civilisation, 
morality, and true religion. And never shall I forget, and 
I am sure never will you who witnessed it forget, the triumph 
of that day — the glorious ist of August, 1838 — when, at the 
head of a procession of upwards of 7,000 of the population, 
I had the honour to present you before the then King's 
House in this town to hear the proclamation of full and 
unconditional freedom from the lips of our veteran 
Governor, Sir Lionel Smith, by command of our then 
youthful Sovereign, Queen Victoria, Mi^hom may God 
Almighty long continue to preserve ajid bless ! " 

The whole assembly, on the uttering of these words, 
simultaneously expressed their loyalty by singing '* God 
save the Queen," accompanied by repeated cheers. 

** Permit me further to say that it was from the same 
regard for the temporal as well as for the spiritual interests 
of the masses of the people that I was induced to do what I 
could to promote more practically their social condition, 
by purchasing lands, and otherwise assisting them in the 
establishment of villages in the districts where my influence 
extended. But in this also I have been more than re- 
warded for the time and labour and temporal loss involved, 
by the knowledge that thereby hundreds of families, other- 
wise without houses and friends, have been collected and 
located in their own comfortable freeholds, provided at 



390 The JMUe of his Ministry, [1873 

the same time with all the means and appliances of 
Christian worship and school instruction in their midst. 

" Nor have I been wanting, I flatter myself, in a willing 
co-operation with my fellow-townsmen in any plan for 
redressing wrong where it existed ; for promoting the 
elevation of the ignorant ; or for advancing the interests, 
especially of the labouring classes, of the country at large. 
But for these things I have not asked and deserve no 
thanks, as I have acted only up to my convictions of 
right and of Christian duty, endorsing it as a principle 
'that everyone capable of doing service to his fellow- 
men ought to sacrifice his own ease, means, and time to 
the welfare of those unable to help themselves.' 

" In the faithful and conscientious discharge of my 
official duties I have seen it right to differ from some 
around me on some social as well as ecclesiastical ques- 
tions. Whilst, however, I have never shrunk from a 
candid avowal of my principles, but have ever been ready 
to defend them, both from the pulpit and the press, yet I 
persuade myself I have endeavoured to do so with Chris- 
tian moderation, conceding to others the same freedom of 
action and purity of motive I have claimed for myself. If* 
however, I have spoken or acted offensively towards any, 
I gladly avail myself of this opportunity of expressing my 
regret. 

''Seeing so large an assembly around me; consisting of 
all classes of my fellow-townsmen, and of all creeds and 
conditions of life, I cannot but think it due to yoa, 
my friends, and to myself to testify to the uniform kindness 
and courtesy with which I have been favoured, and that 
not only by the ministers of the different Christian 
societies in the town and neighbourhood, but by the 
inhabitants generally. 

" I think it impossible, indeed, for any one to have met 
with greater respect and kindness from any people in any 



1873] J^ Jubilee of his Ministry, 591 

part of the world ; and I have great pleasure in tendering 
to all the assurance of my high appreciation of their 
conduct in this respect* 

'* In all the relations I have sustained to the members 
and congregation of my late charge, I have met with 
nothing but confidence and affection. Under the trials 
and difficulties of my path (and they have been neither few 
nor insignificant) I have received from you all the com- 
fort and consolation which the tenderest sympathy could 
dictate. Be assured that the recollection of them, with 

■ 

the deepest gratitude and affection, will be cherished by 
me and by one equally a sharer in them to the latest 
moment of our lives. 

'*' Owing to circumstances it is unnecessary to repeat on 
this occasion, I relinquished the pastorate of the church 
de facto in favour of my friend and brother, the Rev. 
Thomas Lea, but have remained connected with it in 
some slight degree, to enable me to fulfil my pledge, long 
made, of celebrating this jubilee. 

" This slender tie was dissolved on the 21st of the past 
month ; and now on the first public opportunity presented 
I bid you a final farewbll. I do this, I must say, not 
without feelings of regret, as the ties and association of 
fifty years' growth are too deeply rooted to be torn asunder 
in a day without a pang. But the stem behests of duty 
are not to be disobeyed. My feelings, however, are 
overborne by the conviction that my successor, by his 
ability and zeal, will more than compensate for my 
retirement, and, by the blessing of God, be more success- 
ful in our Great Master's work, and in promoting the 
general good, than my limited qualifications have allowed. 

*' Having outlived my friends in my native land — ^having 
been permitted to see my children and my children's 
children growing up around me, added to the fact of 
having formed friendships here which nothing but death 



392 The Jubilee of his Ministry. L"^73 

can sever — I purpose, should Providence permit, to pass 
the evening of my days among you, and to find a grave in 
Spanish Town where my ashes may repose in peace. 

*' If, in your Address* there is one particular more 
gratifying to my feelings than another, it is that in which 
you refer to my beloved partner. She has most nobly and 
unflinchingly borne with me the heat and burden of thedaj 
^has been a *true fellow-helper in the truth' — and 
deserves largely to share the approbation you have so 
kindly expressed to me. I have to request you, therefore, 
to receive on her account the warmest sentiments of 
affectionate gratitude. 

"And now. Christian brethren and- friends, permit me 
to say in conclusion that it is my earnest prayer that a 
hundredfold of blessings from on high may be rendered 
to you and your families, and that the means and oppor- 
tunities of spiritual enlightenment with which God in His 
Providence has favoured you may be effective, through 
Divine grace, to the sanctification of your souls and your 
preparation for a happy immortality.*' 

By the direction of the Committee of the Baptist 
Missionary Society, the following letter was addressed to 
Mr. Phillippo on this auspicious occasion : — 

" My dear Brother, — At our quarterly meeting of Com- 
mittee, held a few days ago, reference was made to tbe 
jubilee services about to be held in Spanish Town to 
commemorate your fifty years of service in the island 
of Jamaica in the cause of our Lord and Saviour. I 
was directed to write you and express in the warmest 
possible manner the hearty congratulations of your 
brethren on this side the Atlantic. This I do with the 
greatest pleasure. 

" It is a source of gratitude to God that your life has 
been so long preserved, and that, with few interruptions, 
you have been able to continue your valuable work during 



1873] The Jubilee of his Ministry. 393 

that long period of time with the greatest benefit to the 
people of Jamaica, and with not a few tokens of the 
favour of God. You have seen the Gospel take deep root 
in the island, the number of believers wonderfully 
multiplied, and the curse of slavery for ever removed. In 
all this you have had no mean share. You have passed 
through many painful scenes also. You have seen the 
people quivering under the lash, disease and death 
ravaging their homes, and the most savage injustice in- 
flicted upon them. In all this, too, you have sympathised 
ivith them, and been their friend and counsellor. Great 
is the contrast of their present condition with those days 
of suffering. Peace everywhere prevails, freedom is secured 
both for body and soul, the sanctuaries of God daily 
increase in number, and the people cheerfully sustain the 
cost of their religious institutions ; justice is fairly ad- 
ministered in the courts, and a period of prosperity at 
length rewards their endurance and patient service. 
Your jubilee might be regarded as their jubilee, even 
as it is a fitting time for them to display their regard 
for you and to express the esteem in which you are 
universally held* It is also a cause of gratitude that 
your dear wife survives to share with you these blessed 
memories, and to rejoice with you in the general ex- 
pressions of esteem and attachment the occasion has 
called forth. 

" You are not unaware that the Committee hold you in 
high esteem, and have in various ways expressed it. 
Receive, my dear friend, this one more expression of it, 
and be assured that we think of you with affection and 
honour you for your consistent life and your devoted 
service in the cause of our Lord and Master. May your 
closing days, and those of your dear wife, be filled with 
peace and an ever-present sense of the Divine favour ; 
and then at last may the Master welcome you with His 



394 ^^ JuhiUe of his Mimtity. [1873 

words of approval, ' Well done ; enter ye into the joy of 
your Lord ' 1 — ^Believe me to remain, yoara very truly, 

"Edward B. Underbill.'^ 

A few months later a handsome clock and a service of 
plate, to which contributions were made from persons of 
every class, were presented to Mr. Phillippo. This 
generous and appropriate gift did not arrive in time for 
presentation at the jubilee meeting. 

With this touching event, surrounded by those members 
of his family who were then in Jamaica, and many dear 
friends with whom he had fought '* the good fight " of 
truth, righteousness, and liberty, the public life of Mr. 
Phillippo may be said to have closed^ though not, as will 
presently be seen, his services to the churches he had 
gathered and so long led to the '* streams of living 
waters." The words of the "just and devout" Simeon 
were on his lips : " Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant 
depart in peace, according to Thy word ; for mine eyes 
have seen Thy salvation.*' 

A few more trials, however, awaited this servant of God 
before that hoary head should receive the crown of an 
immortal and eternal life. 



CHAPTER XLII. 

DECEASE OF fflS WIFE— 1874. 

For some weeks before the celebration of the jubilee, 
Mr. Phillippo was laid aside by illness, occasioned by a 
fail from his horse down a precipice. The injury then 
done to one of his legs he never thoroughly recovered, 
and, although he endeavoured to supply the wants of the 
stations he retained in his charge, and met with great 
encouragement in his ministry, he found horse exercise, 
by which means only he could reach the stations, increas- 
ingly difficult. Growing infirmities led him to resign his 
office of ** President of the Mutual Relief Society '* for the 
town and district, which he had held for about eight 
years, and he also relinquished other minor engagements 
which his energetic nature and active habits had long 
enabled him to fulfil. Though \^ith difficulty, he still went 
on his journeys of loving ministration to the poor and 
needy, and bore the fatigues and peril with a buoyant 
spirit. 

But a dark day was at hand, the narrative of which 
must be given in his own words : — 

** June 19th. — On arrival home I was told the sad tidings 
of the illness of my beloved wife, whom I had left so 
shortly before in her usual health. I left her on Wednes- 
day last to return to Orange Grove to arrange for opening 
the new school-room and chapel at Thankful Hill, 
receiving from her her usual parting caress with the inquiry 



39^ Decease of his Wife. ['874 

when I should return, accompanied by an admonition to 
avoid unnecessary exposure to the sun. I returned on the 
Friday about eleven o'clock. On alighting from my 
horse, the servant said, with a sadness both of tone and 
countenance, 'Missus is not well ; she got up this morning, 
but was obliged to return to bed.' I hastened to the 
room, and found her speechless and insensible. Not a 
word in reply to my anxious inquiries, nor a single look of 
recognition I I saw the hand of death was upon her, and 
immediately sent a messenger to Kingston for our son and 
daughter. Just then Mrs. Claydon, not knowing what had 
happened, was driven to the door. Dr. Stamer, who 
resided in the town, came immediately, and, on seeing the 
patient, shook his head ominously. My son soon after 
arrived and pronounced the case hopeless. Everything 
that a skilful physician and affectionate son could do was 
done. She lingered, without a sign of consciousness or 
pain during that and the following day and night." 

''June 2 1 St. — At thirty minutes past four o'clock this 
morning the loved one breathed her spirit into the hands 
of Him who gave it. I sat by her bedside in deep anguish 
of mind, and when she drew her last breath it seemed as 
though my heartstrings burst asunder." 

" She passed away without even a sigh. No indication 
of pain from first to last. This a little sweetened the 
wormwood and the gall. But hush, my soul i nor dare 
repine. The circumstances altogether call for gratitude 
to my heavenly Father. 3he was ripe for the sickle, and 
the great Husbandman gathered her into His gamer. 
No ; great as is my grief, I must not repine. My loss is 
her gain ; I have lost an earthly friend, she has gained a 
heavenly Friend. I have, too, other alleviations. My 
children and my children's children strive to soothe my 
wounded spirit. Brethren testify their sympathy ; while all 
the tenderness and kindness ^hich long-tried friends can 



1874] Decease of his Wife, 397 

show have been manifested to an extent and in a degree 
I could not have expected.*' 

Her body was borne to the grave on the following 
Monday morning amidst an immense number of people, 
whose lamentations, controlled by deep and sincere 
feeling, testified more than words can express the high 
estimate formed of her Christian character and social 
virtues. Profound indeed must have been the sorrow of 
the aged husband as, with tottering steps, supported by 
their eldest son, he accompanied the remains of his life- 
long companion to the grave. She had been the sharer 
of his joys and sorrows, his trials, his conflicts, and hi» 
successes, for more than fifty years. 

Of the numerous letters of sympathy which reached 
him, there was not one, he remarks, that he valued so 
much as the following. Its writer was once a slave-girl 
whose freedom Mrs. Phillippo had purchased by the 
liberality of some ladies at Reading. 

'• Spanish Town, June 23, 1874. — My dear and beloved 
Pastor, — I, as an humble member under your pastorate for 
so many years, and one who from a child has been with 
you and your dear departed friend, do sincerely sympa- 
thise in your loss. I know you have felt (and will feel) 
greatly the loss of her; and more so when you think that 
you were not permitted to hear from her in her last hours 
what was the state of her mind on the merits of her 
Saviour. I can assure you, from what I have heard from 
her at different times, that she was one waiting for her 
Saviour's coming, and I do believe (according to God*s 
Word) that she is now among the saved. Although we 
have not been able to hear a word from her this time, yet 
on a former occasion when she was taken, and after she 
was a little better, I asked her if she wished me to read 
for her, and she said * Yes.' I read to her the io8th Psalm, 
and when I closed the book she said, ' My heart is fixed ; 



398 Decease of his Wife. [1874 

my heart is fixed ! Oh, how merciful is God to us, yet we 
are such unworthy creatures 1 Oh, if we could love and 
praise Him more 1' While at her bedside, witnessing her 
departure, I thought I heard her saying these same words, 
' My heart is fixed 1 * 

" I hope, my dear minister, you will be encouraged by 
these words, and look to Him who only can save unto the 
uttermost those that come to Him by faith, ' seeing He 
ever liveth to make intercession for us.' 

•• With love and respect to you and your daughter, I 

am, yours obediently, 

" Mary O'Meally." 

In the memoir prepared by Mr. Phillippo for the pages 
of the Baptist Magazine he begins by quoting the words 
of Washington Irving : — " No one knows what a minis- 
tering angel the wife of his bosom is until he has gone 
with her through the fiery trials of this world." Such was 
Mrs. Phillippo to the husband of her choice, through all 
the long years in which she fully shared the trials, the 
self-denial, the sufferings and persecutions which befell 
them. She was possessed of a sound and vigorous 
constitution, was of an amiable and gentle disposition, in 
manners unostentatious, of a sound judgment, and en- 
dowed with good practical common-sense. Her piety 
was unobtrusive, but deep and sincere, ever exhibiting its 
power by deeds of mercy, by her efforts to lead all around 
her to Christ, by ordering her household in the fear of 
God, and by a firm persistence in the paths of truth and 
holiness. Her diffidence led her to withdraw much into 
the quiet of her own home ; but no one could fail to be 
struck with her clearness of purpose, the firmness of 
her resolve, and the blamelessness of her life. Under the 
painful loss of children, she was resigned to the Divine 
will, and bore with a chastened calmness the trials 
through which her path and that of her husband so often 



>87+] 



Decease of his Wife. 



399 



lay. She cheered him in his anxieties, burdened herself 
with his cares, and was his surest counsellor and friend. 
She made his home a happy one. '* It was,*' says the 
bereaved husband, ** the dearest spot to him on earth, one 
which he preferred to everything else — a shelter from the 
ills and anxieties of life. Whenever distant from it, it 
was to him always a refuge of pleasant thought. There, 
shut in from the outer world of strife and turmoil, he 
possessed a peace and happiness he could not find 
elsewhere. In thus making home a happy one to her 
husband and children, it is hardly necessary to say that 
she found it one herself," 

Mrs. Phillippo was the mother of nine children. Three 
only survived her — two sons and a daughter. They are 
still living to testify to the worth and affection of her who 
trained their childhood, watched over their later life with 
maternal anxiety, and rejoiced in the honourable positions 
to which they have attained. That affection they returned, 
and now hold in reverence and love the memory of her 
virtues, her piety, and example. 

She passed away in the eighty-second year of her age 
and the fifty-first of her married and missionary life. 

** Night dews fall not more gently to the ground. 
Nor weary worn-out winds expire more soft." 



CHAPTER XLIIL 

THE AGED CHRISTIAN— 1874 to 1876. 

In the year following the decease of his wife, the health 
of Mr. Phillippo considerably improved, and with occa- 
sional interruptions he was able, for about two years and 
a-half, to visit his stations, and to take an interest in 
the progress of affairs around him. Soon after the death 
of Mr. Dowson he took charge of the station at Old 
Harbour, and this church, with Sligoville and Rosswell, 
he continued to watch over as his strength allowed. Both 
in his visits and in the management of the churches, as 
also in his correspondence, he enjoyed the constant and 
invaluable aid of his daughter. She accompanied him 
in his journeys, kept the accounts of the stations, and 
assisted him in his pastoral work. If there were wanting 
the vigour, the activity, and the success of former days, 
these qualities were more than compensated by the ripe- 
ness of his judgment and the mellowness of his piety. 
The variety of his labours, and the spirit in which they 
were pursued, can best be illustrated by a few selections 
from his diary, which, with great assiduity, he continued 
daily to keep. 

*'July 19th, 1874. — Thankful Hill school-house I was 
now enabled to open on its completion. A very large 
congregation, almost as many outside as within. About 
sixty children were present. I preached from i Chron. 
xxix. 5. All seemed gratified, and gave hope of future 



1874I ^^ ^S^^ Christian, 401 

attendance. May God grant the realisation of these 
anticipations ! " 

This building, erected for use as a chapel as well as 
school-house, was on a rising ground in the centre of 
three or four villages, and in a district that had been 
described by a late Governor as one of the dark spots 
which were a disgrace and a danger to Jamaica. There 
was no other school or place of worship within five or six 
miles. It was estimated that the villages in its vicinity 
could very well furnish at least one hundred children in 
daily attendance. 

" August gth.^At Rosswell. Preached from words, * If 
the Lord delight in us He will bring us into that good 
land,* &c. Things were as encouraging as usual. There 
really seems to be a good work going on here, which I 
must place against discouragements elsewhere. This 
ought to strengthen and stimulate for future action, as 
well as preserve me from anxious care." 

" August 22nd. — Old Harbour day. The congregation 
was small on account of prevalent sickness. All very 
cold. Mission-house still untouched. I preached, I 
trust, in a way calculated to rouse them. They were 
attentive, but asleep still. I fear this is the result of the 
apathy of one or two whose worldly speculations absorb 
all their thoughts and energies. I returned home in the 
evening, calling, on the way, on a respectable coloured 
family. The mother had been known to me from a 
child. I left some periodicals for their perusal, as usual. 
My horse became lame, and the harness broke, but I 
arrived safely home, though at a late hour." 

'* October 14th. — My birthday, terminating my seventy- 
sixth year. Thoughts crowd upon my mind while I think 
of all the way in which my heavenly Father has led me. 

" How rapidly is my time on earth passing away I How 
long my life may be continued, of course, I cannot tell, 

D D 



402 The Aged Christian, [^874 

bat in all the circumstances and conditions of it help 
me, O God, to look for Thy special blessing. I may have 
many losses and crosses yet to endure ; help me to bear 
them, O my God and Father, as dispensations of Thine 
intended for my good, and give me wisdom and grace to 
see Thy designs in them ! " 

''December ist. — Final leave was taken this day of 
Felstead Cottage by Mrs. Claydon, self, servants, and 
chattels. On taking a last farewell look at this neat and 
comfortable cottage, associated as it ever will be in my 
mind with the last hours of my beloved wife, her last 
earthly home, I became the prey of melancholy reflections, 
which I found it difficult to restrain within proper bounds. 
Henceforward, for some days, I was busy in arranging 
furniture, &c.y in the new home at Rivoli, which in some 
degree diverted my thoughts from the sad retrospect of 
the past few months." 

" December 6th. — At Orange Grove and Sligoville. The 
morning fine. The hurricane and rain-storm have not 
proved so destructive as I feared. The congregation was 
good, and all seemed cheerful. I held a church-meeting 
before and after service, when several young persons were 
proposed for baptism, to take place (D.V.) the first 
Sabbath in January. Preached and administered the 
Lord's Supper. May the Lord give effect to His Word I " 

'•December 25th. — Christmas-day. The fifty-first 
anniversary of it to me in Jamaica. How unlike this to 
the savage scenes, abominable and wicked customs that 
prevailed in 1823. The change is wonderful, and all is to 
be ascribed to the influence of the Gospel faithfully and 
earnestly preached." 

"March 4th, 1875, — According to previous arrange- 
ments, a juvenile picnic was held at Orange Grove for the 
children of Thankful Hill and Sligoville schools; over 
a hundred and sixty present. It was a very interesting 



iSysl The Aged Christian, 403 

gathering, and managed in a far less troublesome way to 
all concerned, and also more satisfactory, than on any 
previous occasion. I trust it will stimulate the parents on 
behalf of their children's education ; their continued 
interest in it greatly requires incentives." 

*' March 6th. — At Sligoville, accompanied by my daugh- 
ter. A very large congregation was^ptesent. Preached 
from Matt. zxvi. 56 : ' And all His disciples forsook Him 
and fled.' I tried to produce impression, and looked 
up anxiously to God for His blessing." 

'* March 31st. — Unwell; fever hanging about me, and 
remained in bed the greater part of the day. The imme- 
diate cause of this illness was doubtless the exposure to 
the cold night air after my efforts in speaking at the meet- 
ings in Kingston, and driving home after ten o'clock at 
night." 

''May 26ch. — I now received the first instalments of the 
Government grants for my schools : Sligoville, Thankful 
Hill, Free Town, Spring Garden, and Rosswell. Received 

"June 13th, Sunday. — At Rosswell. A very large and 
attentive congregation was present. I preached on the 
nature, the necessity, advantages, and means of promoting 
Scriptural revivals. Several began to exhibit excitement, 
as at a former time ; but I insisted on its discontinuance, 
requesting such as were really under concern to meet me 
in the vestry after the service. It is almost dangerous to 
speak to the people here with very much earnestness, as 
their feelings are so little under control." 

"June 17th. — Particularly requested by brethren East 

and Roberts, went over to Kingston to the examination- 

of the High School at the Calabar Institution and the 

distribution of prizes. Colonel Cox, Commander of the 

Forces, in the chair. I delivered an address. On the 

following day 1 returned to Rivoli." 

D D z 



404 The Aged Christian. [1875 

" July 13th. — Morning duties being observed, I held an 
hour's service with the lame, the halt, and the blind in 
the poor-house now brought near my residence. Several 
of these poor people seemed to know the hymns sung, 
and heartily united in singing them. I addressed them 
for about half-an-hour on the first Psalm. They paid great 
attention, and thanked me very heartily at the close. I 
found it good to be there." 

"September 8th. — Called on some of my old friends 
whose minister I had so long been. Among them was 
Emily Thomas, a good, devoted woman, who, though 
ninety years of age, crept by aid of her staff to every 
public service. She was on her death-bed, and I bade 
her a last farewell. She said she hoped to be the first to 
welcome me to her Father^s house, where she was going 
a little before me. In the evening, Mrs. Clavdon and 
myself were favoured with the company of some Wesieyan 
friends. Had a pleasant and profitable two or three 
hours in recounting the way in which God had led us the 
many years past. A tremendous tempest came over the 
town soon after our friends had left, and continued all 
night. Awful flashes of lightning and peals of thunder 
seemed to conspire our destnicpon. At length, by the 
force of the wind, which drove the storm before it, it 
rolled away in the distance. A few thin clouds lingered 
after the storm and sank slowly to the ytrg^ of the 
horizon. This awe-inspiring scene solemnised my mind, 
forcing upon my thoughts the mighty thunderings and 
blinding lightnings of the last great day." 

•' October 14th. — My birthday. I have this day closed 
my seventy-seventh year. Although thought by friends to 
have remarkable health and strength at such an age, I 
nevertheless feel that my days are fast ebbing away. Age 
is bringing out the weak points of my constitution slowly, 
but sensibly. Every year adds to the increasing number 



1 876] The Aged Christian. 405 

of my infirmities. May I, by the inspiration of the Holy 
Spirit, form such holy resolutions as if I were now about 
to leave this earthly life to be made a partaker of the 
Supper of the Lamb I Blessed is that servant whom 
his Lord, when He cometh, shall find watching." 

** November 24th. — Returned to town, and was duly 
installed as chairman of the missionary meeting in the 
evening. Many brethren and friends present. I was 
considerably nervous, finding my memory beginning to 
fail. My address was about twenty minutes in length. I 
felt tired and languid after the meeting from the evening 
air, the excitement, and standing so long. I shall have to 
discontinue attending and engaging in public, missionary, 
and other meetings — at all events, such large, exciting 
ones as at Kingston and Spanish Town." 

'* January ist, 1876. — Another year has passed with all 
its toils and trials, privileges and mercies. The former, I 
am thankful to say, though numerous and weighty, have 
yet been mixed with mercy ; while the blessings I have 
received have been such as call for my devout gratitude to 
God. Oh I for more faith and love, more consecration to 
Christ, more growth in grace, more and better knowledge 
of my Lord and Saviour, more likeness to Him, more 
boldness for Him, more usefulness in His service 1 " 

** January 2nd. — Went up to Sligoville. The congrega- 
tion was very large, as almost everywhere at the 
commencement of the year ; but, sad to say, the people 
gradually decline in attendance as the year advances. I 
preached from John i. 36 : * Behold the Lamb of God 1 ' 
and I feel I am sincere when I say that I preached * as 
though I ne'er should preach again.* In the afternoon 
the Lord's Supper. The people were cheerful and hearty 
in their salutations, wishes, and prayers for the best of 
blessings on their minister and family.'' 

''January 16th. — Preached at the re-opening of East 



4o6 Thi Aged Christian [1876 

Queen Street Chapel after repairs. There was a very 
large congregation of all classes. I felt nervous at the 
commencement for fear of breaking down physically, but 
was, as I believe, Divinely assisted, and I hope the 
blessing of God was largely experienced." 

In the month of February, Mr. Phillippo's health was 
far from good, so as to awaken the anxieties of his friends 
and to call forth an earnest appeal to him to lessen the 
frequency of his visits to his distant stations. Their 
condition weighed upon his spirits and gave him much 
anxiety, as he was unable to exercise that vigilant 
watchfulness over their spiritual state so necessary to 
their well-being. 

"April 13th and 14th. — From multiplied and multiply- 
ing claims, involving almost incessant labour and no 
inconsiderable responsibility in relation to churches, 
repair of chapels, erection of school -houses, and support 
of schoolmasters, with other things too numerous to detail, 
I have been depressed for some time past. A dark and 
impenetrable cloud has seemed to overshadow me. I 
prayed earnestly for faith to lay hold of the promises of 
my Lord that He would sustain and bring me through the 
darksome way. Amidst all, I know that God has not 
forsaken me, while I sometimes feel that it is really good 
for me to be thus tried. It draws me closer tp God 
through my adorable Saviour. Take courage, O my soul ; 
endure with patience and fortitude. Let me gird on 
afresh the armour of hope, faith, and contentment, and 
press onward to my journey's end." 

It was not in Mr. Phillippo's nature to relinquish any 
post of service till it was impossible for him to hold it ; he 
therefore continued to do his utmost to carry on the work 
in hand, and amid every difficulty to persevere. 

"April 1 8th. — Unable through indisposition to accom- 
pany the inspector to the school at Spring Garden, my 



1876] The Aged Christian. 407 

daughter kindly undertook my duties, and I was glad to 
find the result satisfactory both to the teacher and 
inspector. This Government system is a great blessing to 
the labouring class of the population and to the country 
generally, and cannot fail to cheer the hearts of the 
ministers of the Gospel in particular. But on some of the 
latter, who are managers, it entails very considerable 
sacrifices of time, labour, and expense." 

" October 14th. — ^This day seventy-eight years ago I first 
drew my breath in this world of sin and sorrow. Once 
again I raise my Ebenezer. The Lord has done great 
things for me, and for the stations under my charge, 
whereof I am glad. I would thus record His great 
goodness and exalt His glorious name. I am not without 
evidence that my labour has not been in vain, nor has the 
Lord failed to show me that He has made me useful in 
the conversion and building up of souls in the hope of 
the Gospel. To Him be all the glory ! *' 

** December 20th. — ^Thought it my duty, being in King- 
ston at the opening of a new wing to the Mico Institution, 
the Governor (Sir William Grey) being present, and having 
been introduced to him, to call upon him, when I was 
invited to luncheon, and was afterwards favoured with a 
long conversation on the length of time I had been in 
the country, the climate, the social, moral, and religious 
state and aspects of the island generally, as also on the 
condition of the labouring classes." 

The active duties of the year closed with a series 
of missionary meetings at Old Harbour, Sligoville, and 
Rosswell. At these gatherings Mr. Phillippo presided, 
and was sustained by various brethren, both of his own 
and other denominations, in the vicinity. The heavy 
rains and impassable roads interfered with the attendance 
at one meeting ; but the services were deeply interesting 
and instructive, while an excellent spirit was manifested 



— .:5-i 



4o8 The Aged Christian. ['876 

bj the people. Pledges of deeper interest and increased 
liberality were given, and the aged Christian's heart was 
gladdened by the love and esteem that vere freely ex- 
pressed for him. The closing words of his diary for the 
year are : — " If I am called, O Lord, to continue my 
action in Thy cause, work in me to will and to do, for my 
experience proves that without Thee I can do nothing.'* 



CHAPTER XLIV. 

FINAL VISIT TO ENGLAND— 1877. 

Thb year did not open without some anxious thoughts. 
Services that he had long observed at the close of the 
old and commencement of the new year were not re- 
garded by those around him with the same pleasure and 
excitement as of yore. He felt painfully, at times, the 
weight of increasing years throwing him more and more 
on home employments to fill the yearnings of his active 
mind. "In my reflections," he says, "I naturally held 
communion with my own heart, in which I felt much 10 
condemn. Help me, O Lord, to search my heart I Do 
Thon Thyself examine me and prove me. Oh, let me 
never be deceived about myself, nor be fatally a stranger 
to my own spirit, or the principles of action within me ! 
Let these be all simple, pure. May I have no corrapt 
motives or desires, nothing but what proceeds from Thee, 
or leads to Thee again! I know not what my future 
experience may be ; be Thou with me, however, and all 
will be well." 

A few days were made bright by the presence of two of 
his grandchildren and two young Haitian girls of colour, 
daughters of parents residing in Haiti, and reclaimed 
from Popery through the instramentality of the late Mr. 
Webley, missionary at Jacmel. He was also gladdened 
by the receipt of a very flattering address which had been 
presented to his younger son (Mr. Justice Phillippo) by 
the Bar of Hong Kong, where for some time he had held 



». , .^ > 



410 Final Visit to England, [1877 

the office of acting Chief Justice, speaking in the highest 
terms of the calm, dispassionate manner, acumen, and 
courtesy with which he had filled that high office. But 
his mind continually relapsed into a state of dread of 
the future, as if overshadowed by the event disclosed in 
the following extract from his diary :«- 

*' March 29th. — I this day received an astounding letter 
from brother Lea, stating that he had actually applied to 
the Bishop of Kingston for ordination at his hands, and 
for admission into the Episcopal Church, he having been 
of Nonconformist parentage, four years a student at the 
Baptist College, Bristol, sixteen years a Baptist missionary 
in Jamaica, and a nephew of William Knibb. It is 
extraordinary that he never gave me nor the church the 
slightest intimation of his purpose, until two or three days 
before his resignation of the pastorate of the church." 

This unexpected and surprising resignation was com- 
municated to the church in Spanish Town on the following 
Sabbath, April i st. Without a moment's delay or hesitation 
the members at once turned for counsel and aid to their 
aged friend, their old and attached minister. Unani- 
mously they pressed him to re-assume the pastorate, and to 
this request, with deep feeling, he felt it his duty to assent. 
'* I am in health," he said, '* and I will never allow, while 
I retain possession of it, my life-work to be ignored nor to 
come to an end, nor will I suffer all my sacrifices of 
labour, and money, and life to be given to the winds. 
The state of things must of necessity involve me in very 
great additional anxiety, responsibility, and toil. But 
while I ask for the wisdom that is from above, I must 
trust to the God of wisdom to give me strength and grace 
equal to my day." 

The position was indeed a most anxious and painful 
one* His '* life-work" truly seemed in danger of 
destruction, and the churches he had gathered and 



1877] Final Visit to England, 411 

watered with his tears and prayers were apparently 
threatened with dispersion. Earnestly and prayerfully, he 
pondered the steps to be taken to fill the pastorate in the 
future, sought the advice of brethren near at hand, and 
after several sleepless nights, with a bold and marvellous 
decision, he resolved to leave his people to the care of the 
Rev. D. J. East ; his daughter, ever helpful, and endowed 
with an energy like his own, could undertake the corre- 
spondence necessary to obtain supplies to fill the pulpit 
during his absence, and he would seek in England the 
Christian minister who, animated with a truly evangelistic 
spirit, should henceforth feed the flock in the pastures in 
which they had so long dwelt. "I did not wish to go 
home," he writes, " before this crisis came, because I had 
no special object to accomplish. Now I have. If I am 
told I might endanger my life by the voyage and excite- 
ment, I reply, ' It is necessary for me to go to England ; 
it is not necessary for me to live.' '* 

Accordingly, gathering up his energies, and strengthened 
by faith and prayer, he went forth on this toilsome 
mission. The interval of preparation was short. He left 
in the packet which sailed from Kingston on the loth of 
April. It was thus he hoped to save many months of 
weary waiting and negotiation, and to bring back with 
him in a few short weeks a successor in his work. He 
reached Southampton on the morning of the 29th in 
health and safety after a moderately pleasant voyage of 
nineteen days. 

During his stay in England, Mr. Phillippo kept his 
daughter well informed of his movements; but as his 
letters consist of very little more than a list in some detail 
of the numerous places he visited and of the many friends 
he met with, they do not furnish many passages for 
extract. His first letter is dated from my house, whither 
he came direct on arriving in London, and he continued 



412 Fifial Visit to England. [i^?? 

to be my guest for several days until arrangements were in 
progress for obtaining the minister for whom he was in 
search. His burden of care was greatly relieved by the 
deep sympathy which the situation called forth on every 
side, by the warm affection which greeted him from old 
friends and new, and by the promptitude with which the 
Committee proceeded to fulfil his request. The intervals 
of his attendance at the Mission House were occupied 
with visits to former scenes and to the homes of those he 
had known in earlier years. Some, like Dr. Steane, even 
more than himself, were suffering from the infirmities of 
age ; others, like the Rev. S. Green, the friend and com- 
panion of his youth, still bore bravely and almost unhurt 
the assaults of time; while others, as Dr. Brock, had 
entered in the joy of their Lord. At a meeting of peculiar 
interest at Dr. Landels' chapel, at which he was present, 
he met with a large number of friends who, he says, 
*' expressed their astonishment at my courage in coming 
home, and at my vigour of body and mind." 

After more than one conference with the Mission 
Committee, and visiting many London friends, he pro- 
ceeded to his brother*s house at Norwich. There he 
found a happy home, where he could recruit his strength, 
and obtain relief from a severe cold that he had taken. 
Then he proceeded to Leicester and Birmingham. At 
Birmingham he was the guest of Mr. and Mrs. William 
Morgan. " Here,'* he reports to his daughter, ** I stayed 
four days, during which my kind friends did everything in 
their power to render my visit enjoyable, and I may say 
profitable. They took me to call upon many friends, 
some of whom knew my dear wife from a girl, and 
remembered me a student at Chipping Norton ; while we 
had parlour-gatherings and conferences every night. 
These meetings were deeply interesting, and said to have 
been instructive* All sympathised with me and the 



1877] Final Visit to England, 413 

people so suddenly deserted. I have suffered somewhat 
from cold and cough, the weather having been unusually 
severe ; but I am better. I tire in walking, but not in 
riding even long distances. I am afraid you will have too 
much to do, and too many cares ; but you must remember 
that overdoing is undoing." 

In July he took part in the annual meeting of Regent's 
Park College, when he gave the closing address. It took 
the form of a brief review of his experience as a mission- 
ary in Jamaica for fifty-four years. After recounting the 
events of his early years, he thus summed up some of the 
results :— 

'* During these fifty-four years, I have endeavoured, 
with my brother missionaries and others, to aid in the 
promotion of all the great and important changes that 
have taken place in the island — changes civil, social, 
educational, religious, and ecclesiastical ; in all, indeed, 
in which especially the great interests of the masses of the 
people were concerned. And while I have assisted in 
accomplishing these vast revolutions to the extent of 
my ability, I flatter myself that my efforts have in some 
humble degree contributed to their accomplishment. In 
the abolition of slavery and of the previous system of 
apprenticeship, the establishment of free villages, the 
erection of school-houses and places of worship, and, 
though last not least, the disestablishment and disendow- 
ment of the State Church in Jamaica, and the establishment 
of a college in Kingston in connection with our mission 
for the education of native young men for the work of the 
Christian ministry, and as a training institution for 
teachers of schools, I have been a sincere, if not a very 
efficient, worker. Of the results of my great work of 
winning souls to Christ by the preaching of the glorious 
Gospel, I thank God, with all humility of mind, that I am 
not without witnesses. Some hundreds, I may say thou- 



414 Final Visii to England. [*877 

sands, of the once-enslaved and unregenerated sons and 
daughters of Africans, and their descendants around me 
who have been turned from darkness to light, have been 
my joy here, and will, I doubt not, be ' my crown of 
rejoicing in the day of the Lord Jesus.' Nor have the 
results of the education of the children of these descend- 
ants of £thiopia been less numerous and satisfactory." 

In his closing words he touchingly alludes to his own 
personal feelings with regard to the past and to the near 
future : — 

^' In thus labouring so long in the service of the Master, 
I have been called to suffer, as may be supposed, much 
personal and relative affliction — to endure much persecu- 
tion, with exposure at times to violence and death — 
to experience much difficulty in my work, and to endure 
numerous and sore trials arising out of my special employ- 
ment as a minister of Christ ; but I rejoice to say that, 
though I have been tired in the work, I have never been 
tired of it, and that, if ' my trials have abounded, my 
consolations have abounded also.' I can further say — and I 
can say it with all sincerity of heart — that had I a thousand 
lives I would willingly consecrate them all to the same 
great work, even in prospect of the same great difficulties 
and trials, and with the same jeopardy of health and life 
as heretofore endured. It cannot be expected from my 
advanced age that my life will be long protracted ; but, 
whenever the hour of my warfare ends, I trust I shall be 
found with my harness on and my face towards the foe. 
While thus, I trust, I have been enabled, by strength and 
grace from on high, to fight the good fight and to keep 
the faith, I can now look calmly into the grave, waiting 
till my great Master calls me to my rest. And in this 
anticipation I can say I would not exchange my present 
condition and prospects with the greatest monarch that 
ever swayed a sceptre, looking forward, as I can do, with 



1877] Final Vkit to England, 415 

cheerful hope — I will say with firm confidence — throagh 
the alone merits of the Redeemer, to the inheritance, 
incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away." 

A portion of Mr. Phillippo's time in London was 
devoted, in company with the Rev. J. Hewett, who was 
then in England on account of health, in conferring with 
the Committee on the condition and needs of the churches 
in Jamaica. In the early months of the year twenty-eight 
European and native brethren had united to ask the Com- 
mittee for their aid. They stated that the mission was in 
a most critical state, and that without a supply of ministers 
it would sink into decrepitude. For, although in the 
seventeen years that had elapsed since the visit of the 
deputation, in i860, ten pastors had been added to the 
thirty-six then existing, there had been so large an 
accession of churches as to render the proportion 
between the number of churches and pastors less 
favourable than at that time. The seventy-six churches 
had grown to ninety-nine, while fifteen more were with- 
out any pastoral oversight at all. The members had 
increased from 19,360 in i860 to 25,268 in 1877. Thus 
the lapse of time had made the want of ministers more 
urgent. The Committee so far yielded to these represen- 
tations as to promise " to exercise their good ofilces to 
assist in the selection of suitable pastors for the churches 
needing European ministers," and to give grants in aid 
in cases where the churches were unable to meet the 
cost of outfit and passage. Some three or four brethren, 
before the close of the year, were sent out under these 
conditions. It was gratifying to Mr. Philiippo and Mr. 
Hewett to recognise the cordiality with which they were 
received on the part of the Committee and the attention 
given to the statements they were charged by their 
brethren to make. 
The main object of Mr. Phillippo*s visit was accom- 



41 6 Final Visit to England, L*^77 

plished when, in the month of July, the Rev. J. H. 
Holyoak, pastor of the church at Onslow Chapel, 
Brompton, accepted the invitation of the Committee to 
proceed to Jamaica to take the pastorate at Spanish Town. 
Previous to departure, Mr. Phillippo paid several fare- 
well visits to friends in various parts of the country. It 
will be sufficient to record his final visit to his native 
place. 

•* Unwilling," he sajrs, ** to leave for my adopted home 
without a last look at, and bidding a final farewell to, my 
dear old native town, I weiil over to Dereham, accom- 
panied by my brother. It was Saturday, the market-day, 
when I might chance to meet old acquaintances from the 
country, as well as in the town. We went to the Com 
Exchange, wandered about the streets, called at some of 
the old houses, with whose tenants I was once so familiar, 
and at one or two of the principal inns, but, on my part, 
without the slightest recognition, except in one instance 
by a distant relative, though only twenty years had passed 
since my last visit. That visit, however, was so brief that 
it may be said I had been absent from Dereham fifty 
years. Equally disappointed was I in the result of my 
inquiries after the notabilities of my bo3rish da3rs. Most 
of the old families had almost entirely passed away, root 
and branch. The tenants of the house where I was bora 
looked incredulous when I stated the fact, and requested 
permission to look around me. The lower story was now 
occupied as a large ironmongery store, and I should have 
been at a loss to identify it but for the sign of the ' Black 
Buir opposite. Yes; there was the * Black Bull,' 
unaltered in form and size and noble bearing as eighty 
years ago. All else seemed changed. The streets looked 
narrower, distances much shorter, the houses smaller, 
though externally more attractive; the old Baptist and 
Independent chapels superseded by new ones, more con- 



1877] Final Visit to England. 4 > 7 

spicuous, larger, and ornamental. Improvements were 
everywhere considerable, especially in the suburbs, where 
beautiful villa residences had sprung up, rendering the 
dear old place still more worthy of the eulogy of the 
author of ' Lavengro ' : ' Pretty Dereham ! thou model of an 
£nglish country town I' Fatigued with my perambula- 
tions, and straitened for time, I reached the station just 
previously to the starting of the train, in which my brother 
and myself took places for Norwich. But I was a stranger 
at home, and was sad." 

His object in coming to £ngland was now accom- 
plished. Farewells to dear friends were said ; and on the 
3rd of September, in company with Mr. and Mrs. Holyoak 
and their two children, he set sail from Southampton. It 
was a cloudy, rainy, and dismal day, but the passage 
was a pleasant one, the company on board bright and 
cheerful — of various nationalities, and some of them ac- 
quaintances and friends, returning, like himself, to their 
homes in Jamaica, after a holiday. In one gentleman he 
found a Norfolk man, and pleasant were the chats over 
times passed in their native county. 

The vessel arrived in Kingston on the 21st, and warm 
indeed was the welcome, and loud were the congratu- 
lations, which greeted the arrival of the old and the new 
pastors. As they passed along the road and through the 
streets it seemed as if the whole of the people of Spanish 
Town had turned out to receive them. " The chapel doors," 
says Mr. Phillippo, " were immediately thrown open — all 
were urged on to hold a thanksgiving meeting — thanks- 
giving to God for His goodness both to those of us who 
had arrived, and for His goodness to the church in having 
so graciously answered the prayers presented for what 
they now beheld." 

The bright expectations thus apparently fulfilled were 
suddenly destroyed, and, to the consternation of Mr. 

B B 



41 8 Final Visit to England. [1877 

Phillippo and the church, at the end of six days Mr. 
Holjoak announced his intention to return to England. 
Remonstrance was in vain, and by the next packet after 
his arrival Mr. Holyoak and his family departed for 
England* 

It can be more easily imagined than described with 
what a weary heart Mr. Phillippo again resumed the 
pastoral duties to the churches whose hopes were thus 
shattered at the very moment of their realisation. 



CHAPTER XLV. 

mS LAST DAYS-.1877 TO 1879. . 

If it was with a ** weary heart" that Mr. Phillippo again 
faced the difficulties so suddenly sprung upon him, he 
met them with somewhat of his ancient spirit and energy. 
*' On Sabbath following," he says, " I entered upon the 
onerous duties thrown upon me with all the energy I could 
command, stimulated by the sympathies of the vast congre- 
gation that had gathered, and by those of all the inhabitants 
of the town and district. My text was (purposely to avoid all 
details of past occurrences) from i Peter i. 10, 11: 'Of which 
salvation/ &c. Supported and aided, as I felt sure I was, 
by the Divine presence and blessing, I felt unusually at 
home, and seemed possessed of more than customary 
strength and energy. I felt, moreover, that the Word 
would not be like water spilt upon the ground. In the 
administration of the Lord's Supper in the afternoon, I 
felt equally sensible that God was with me." 

The church, on its part, lost no time in assuring their 
aged friend that he enjoyed their most entire confidence 
and warmest affection. They were grateful for his devo- 
tion to their interests and his self-denial; and, though 
his arduous visit to England had proved unavailing, they 
were only too happy to confide in bis judgment for the 
future. They were confident that he would be guided by 
wisdom from above in his management of the affairs of 
the church in this season of great emergency. 

Mr. Phillippo immediately made arrangements to meet, 

B B 2 



420 His Last Days. [^^77 

to the best of his ability, the claims now pressing upon 
him. After three weeks' trial, in a letter to the Secretary 
of the mission, Mr. Baynes, dated October 25th, he thus 
describes the nature of the task laid upon him. After 
referring to Spanish Town, Old Harbour, Rosswell, and 
Sligoville, he says : — ''These places have to be supplied 
monthly, with half-a-dozen more, and about ten schools 
to be superintended, and the schoolmasters to be paid 
and to be kept to their work. Altogether, I have the 
claims of ten stations, with their schools, upon me, from 
five to sixteen miles distant, added to almost incessant 
details of work that these stations involve. They would 
tax the energies of three or four healthy and energetic 
men. How am I to get through all this without 
jeopardy to health and life? It is impossible. After 
preaching at Spanish Town I was so exhausted as to be 
hardly able to sit up in the evening. On returning from 
Sligoville, I felt as though I could hardly venture on horse- 
back for any distance again. It was much the same after 
the service and long journey to and from Rosswell yester- 
day. I fear I shall not be able to undergo the fatigue of 
these long journeys much longer. Yet the same routine is 
to be gone through again and again. Old Harbour next 
Sabbath, then Spanish Town, &c., &c. Of course I have to 
get supplies for intervals ; but these are very expensive, 
often inefficient, and difficult to obtain.'* 

Under such circumstances, he could not but seek the 
aid of the Committee. '' I will not," he continues, " stir 
from my post \^ but my mind as well as my body has lost 
its elasticity. A mountain of care and difficulty lies 
before me, and a dark impenetrable cloud overshadows 
me. I beg that, as soon as a brother of a true missionary 
spirit offers himself, you will relieve our minds by 
announcing it to us by telegram." 

An accident which he met with in the early days of 



iSyS] His Last Days. 421 

January disabled him from going to his more distant 
stations, and it was not without great suffering that he 
could take the first service of the year in Spanish Town. 
Although the condition of his leg improved, it continued 
throughout the year a source of much anxiety, and, with 
the sense of his inability to fulfil the duties which were 
required, there came upon him great depression of mind 
which it needed all his faith to surmount. 

" January gth. — What am I to do," he writes, **under my 
complicated trials, for they multiply and almost bear me 
down.^ Evidently, to trust, to hope, to wait, that in a 
short time all will end well and redound to the Saviour's 
honour and my own comfort. Possibly comfort may come 
like angels' visits, ministering to me the fruits of right- 
eousness to the glory and praise of God. I will trust, and 
not be afraid." Again: "January 19th. — I go to Old 
Harbour to baptize in the sea, but with a heavy heart, 
not as formerly. Cares, labours, and responsibilities 
almost overcome me by their number and importance. 
There are also other causes. I feel myself unequal to 
bear the load from infirmities of age, additionally so from 
the sufferings entailed by my late accident." 

But brighter moments intervene, and he can say, after 
recalling the sorrows endured and the fervent prayers 
which '* daily, almost hourly," they led him to pour out 
before the Father of Mercies, ** I can now testify that my 
prayers are answered, and that I can again, as often before, 
set to mj seal that God is true. May I ever henceforth 
see the folly of doubts and fears where the promises of my 
heavenly Father are concerned, nor suffer myself to 
anticipate evils that may never come 1 " 

Light shone upon his path when he learnt, in March, 
that a successor had been found in the person of the Rev. 
Carey B. Berry, the pastor of the church at Cullingworth, 
Yorkshire. On the 5th of June he had the pleasure of 



422 His Last Days, [1878 

welcoming Mr. Berry to Jamaica, and on the following 
Sunday of introducing him to his flock. Although many 
of the country members did not know of Mr. Berry's 
arrival, he was '* enthusiastically " received by a crowded 
congregation. On the Lord's-day, the 7th of July, Mr. 
Phillippo finally laid down^ the office which, so long, and 
under such changes of circumstances, he had filled, and, 
amid deep silence and many tears, he bade the people he 
so loved as their pastor a final farewell. The whole 
congregation rose up to do him reverence, and in a 
similar manner, at his request, they bade their new pastor 
welcome to the honoured post. It was with joy that Mr. 
Phillippo records : " The welcome was all that could have 
been desired, while the personal salutations that followed 
could have left no doubt upon the young pastor's mind, 
had any existed, that he commenced his work in the full 
confidence and warm affection of his whole church and 
congregation/' The union was ratified at the table of the 
Lord, and it is pleasant to conclude with the remark that 
the issue has fulfilled the hopes and desires of the aged 
servant of God whom Mr. Berry has succeeded. 

For the next few months there is little to record. Mr. 
Phillippo continued, as his strength would allow, to visit 
the two or three stations which remained in his charge, 
and to pay attention to a few matters of public interest. 
With the cessation of the multiplicity of occupations that 
had borne him down, the elasticity of his spirit returned ; 
so that on his eightieth birthday, with ''a gladsome mind," 
he could say : " On looking back I see, indeed, many 
mistakes, infirmities, shortcomings, and sins ; but I 
rejoice that the blood of Christ has washed them all away. 
I know not what may happen to me in the future, but I 
know that I am in my heavenly Father's hands, and that 
surely all things will work together for my good. In 
looking to the future, all is bright, brighter than I can 



1878] His Last Days. 423 

find words to describe. I shall be at length with Christ, 
and be like Him for ever. Let me» therefore, wait for the 
Lord, that whenever He comes I may open to Him 
immediately, and say with joy and trimnph to the Lord's 
promise to come shortly, ' Even so ; come, Lord Jesas.' '' 

In October Mr. Phillippo was laid aside by a severe 
attack of ague and fever ; from this seizure he so far 
recovered as to be able to assist Mr. Berry in the services 
customarily held at Christmas and on New Year's Day. But 
from this time forward the indications began to multiply 
that the shades of life's evening were closing around him. 
On the 30th of January he records that some threatening 
symptoms had obliged him to consult his son, and, 
although on the 2nd of February he was able to ride to 
Sligoville and to arrange for Mr. Berry's recognition as 
the pastor of the church there, he was taken worse in the 
evening, and lay all night in a violent fever. On the next 
day an attack of aneurism in the femoral artery came on, 
which paralysed the whole of his left side, accompanied 
with intense pain. He bore the journey in a litter to 
Spanish Town, where only medical aid could be procured, 
with great fortitude. The dangerous symptoms in a few 
days abated, and, in the months of March and April, he 
was able to leave his room and renew his intercourse with 
friends. 

The entries in his diary, though necessarily brief, are 
sufficiently indicative of the state of his mind during this 
period of retirement. Thus, under February 6: ''The 
doctor came in again, and signified that recovery was still 
doubtful. My mind calm and trusting in God, and wait- 
ing His will, desiring rather to depart and to be with 
Christ." February 7 : " Still in great pain night and day. 
Able to read occasionally, which was a great relief, the 
subjects most attractive being biographical sketches of 
the closing days of good men. Oh, that I had that 



424. His Last Days, [1879 

ardour of devotion, that poverty of spirit, which some of 
them exemplified I " 

Several days succeed in which no entries are made, and 
in which he was confined to his bed. On the 20th they 
are resumed in pencil : " Continued in bed suffering more 
or less pain ; not out of danger. Mind calm and waiting 
on God." 

" 2 1 St. — A night of very great pain. I am still in doubt 
how it will go with me. But I look to my heavenly Father 
to soften the pain. • Not my will, but Thine be done.' " 

A few days follow in which much pain was endured ; but 
slow amendment was apparent. On Sunday, March 2nd« 
he pencils down : ** Much better, and was able to con- 
centrate my thoughts on subjects relating to the blessed 
world to which I feel I am going. I bless God that in 
prospect of it my faith and hope do not fail/' 

'* March 3rd. — Better ; got up and sat in the dining- 
room. Friends and relations congratulate me on my 
progress thus far ; but I can hardly thank them for their 
wishes for my continuance here. Rath er, I say with the 
Apostle, I desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is 
far better." 

" March 7th. — Not suffering much from pain. It is now 
probable I may recover. The Lord's will be done. M7 
mind calm, thoughtful, and hopeful. Reflected on all the 
way He had led me." 

On the 1 3th he was able to take a short drive. " Amidst 
all," he adds, " I recognise a Father's hand and love. I 
am especially thankful that I am able to read and thus 
acquaint myself with the home to which I am going, and 
my obligations to Him who has loved me and given Him- 
self for me." 

From this time a slight but continuous improvement of 
the ailing limb went on, so that he was able to interest 
himself in the affairs of the stations, in making arrange- 






1879] His Last Days. 4.25 

ments for their fatare welfare, and in receiving visits from 
friends and brethren. Some were sanguine that he would 
sufficiently recover to resume a portion of his old duties ; 
but he adds, in recording their kind wishes, ^^ I have no 
hope of this. I feel that the time of my departure is at 
hand. I have no desire to know the time ; but it is 
sufficient to know that my blessed Lord sustains me by 
His grace. May I have the joy this hope inspires when in 
the final hour I lie languishing on the bed of death, wait- 
ing from moment to moment for Christ and my dismission 
to be with Him." 



'* Where'er my head must take its long repose, 

Oh, keep Thy presence nigh, my God, my Friend ; 
And tenderly my eyelids dose, 

While to Thy Spirit's care I mine commend." 

The final entry in his diary, on the 9th of May, relates 
to the departure of his dear friends, the Rev. £. and 
Mrs. Hewett, after a brief visit, in which he had greatly 
enjoyed their presence. He also spent part of the day 
in dictating to his daughter a letter to Mr. Baynes, in 
which he speaks of bis expected recovery, and the hope 
that he might again visit some of the scenes of his former 
laboon. " Why,'* he says, '* I am thus spared I do not 
know, but, as God does nothing without design, whatever 
He does or permits is right. It is, therefore, for me 
cheerfully to acquiesce in His will, knowing that all that 
will is love. As I am now, however, verging on my 
eighty-first year, the time of my departure cannot be far 
distant. My trust is that, whenever the summons comes, 
I may be fully prepared to enter into the joy of my Lord." 
It was hidden from him that this was the last letter he 
would ever write. 

Two days wore slowly away, when, after a Scripture 
lesson on the Sabbath afternoon to the Negro boy in 
attendance upon him, in the evening the Master's voice 



426 His Last Days. [1S79 

was heard. His daughter, Mrs. Claydon, thus describes 
the event : — '* He seemed as well as usual all day Sunday, 
and retired to rest at his usual hour, but soon after he was 
in bed he was seized with shortness of breath and violent 
pains in the chest, and before medical aid could be 
obtained he had breathed his last. He retained his 
consciousness until the end, and was perfectly calm and 
untroubled, saying that his time was come and his 
work was ended. In an hour all was over." Later she 
continues : " I do not know that I can add more to what 
I have said respecting my dear father's death. He knew 
that his hour for departure had come, and said his work 
was done. His last words, at intervals, were : * My 
Jesus ; ' • my Saviour ; * * my Friend.' * Lord, into Thy 
hands I commend my spirit' '* 

Referring to his interview with him on the previous 
Friday, Mr. Hewett writes : — " I left him on the Friday 
afternoon, and he passed away quite suddenly and quietly 
on Sabbath evening. When I left he was cheerful and 
happy, calmly waiting for the great change. His last 
words were: 'Father, into Thy hands I commend my 
spirit.' In his death we have lost the oldest missionary 
of any denomination in the island. For more than fifty 
years he has been an earnest worker in the dear Redeemer's 
cause, abundantly successful in gathering congregations, 
building of chapels, and in converting sinners from the 
error of their ways. His life has been a long scene of 
devotedness, consistency, and usefulness. What more than 
this can be said to his praise and to the glory of God ?" 

From a communication of the Rev. D. J. East to the 
Freeman of the nth of July the following additional 
particulars of the closing days of the venerable saint will 
be welcomed : — 

" How beautiful the closing scene 1 Except an affection 
in the circulation of the leading arteries of one leg — 



1879] His Last Days. 427 

an affection^ however, which conveyed to him the last 
sammons — he seemed fall of health, and enjoyed cheerfal 
spirits almost to the last Yet since the removal of his 
loving wife he had felt that the appointed time of his 
departure was drawing nigh. He cast up and closed his 
works and the care of the churches. He arranged his 
family affairs in. an interview by special appointment with 
the writer. He then bound up the fragments of his life, 
work, and times for us to read when he was gone, com- 
mitting the revision and publication of his autobiography 
to the hands of his valued and beloved friend, Dr. 
Underbill. He then calmly, placidly waited at eventide 
the sunset that must rise in the ' morning land.' He was 
to all things here as one who hopefully, instantly expected 
the coming of the Master. Only nine days before the 
event, in a farewell letter to the writer of this brief notice 
of a friend and brother faithful and beloved, he says, 
'You must not suppose, from the tone of this epistle, 
that my mind is disquieted at the apprehension of my 
departure from this world of sin, and imperfection, and 
turmoil so near at hand. I am thankful to say it is far 
otherwise with me, as, my work being to all appearance 
done, my desire, with the reservation of one family tie, is 
to be with Christ. My life and times, however, are at the 
disposal of my great Master and Lord. 

<* While here, to do His will be mine. 
And His to fix my time of rest" 

It is sufficient for me that He sustains me by His grace, 
and grants me the assurance that I shall be for ever with 
Him in the blessed world to which I am going. In relation, 
however, to your departure hence for a season, how 
delightful to think that, should we meet no more on 
earth, we shall meet where there will exist no magnet, 
no source of attraction, but the Lamb in the midst of the 
throne.' 



428 His Last Days. L*^79 

*' On the Sunday night of his departure, after reading 
a portion from the Ephesians, he finally closed the blessed 
Book, to hear in a few minutes the Master indeed calling. 
He raised his hands, as if to bless his people, in prayer, 
saying, * Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit,' 
and passed away without a pain or sigh. As an infant on 
his mother's breast, so he fell asleep on the bosom of his 
Lord. 

" The earthly remains of our departed brother were 
buried beside those of his sainted wife, while thousands 
of all ranks from the plains and hills around looked or 
sobbed their unspoken sorrow. His record is on high I 

'* In view of such life, what a call his death is for new 
labourers I Shall we not pray in his own words in the 
' Voice of Jubilee ' ? — * O Lord Jesus I Lover of souls, 
Director of spirits, Conqueror of hearts, choose Thine 
own instruments, select Thine own sacrifices, open to 
some understandings the glory of this work, touch some 
hearts with the invisible constraints of Thy dying love. 
Let him that is feeble be as David — let souls be so bound 
to this work that they may resolve to engage in it.' 

*' Whether the monument of our brother be raised or 
his epitaph be written in marble, or not, may we not quote 
his own words in his loving portrait of the sainted Burchell 
and Elnibb^ and say, ' His requiem will be chanted by 
thousands who have known him* or who have heard of 
him, and by millions yet unborn. He occopied the \a^ 
places of the field — he hazarded his life for the sake of 
the Lord Jesus. He saw the work of his hand and heart 
in the freedom of the slave, in the enfranchisement of 
multitudes of the sons of Ethiopia from the thraldom of 
the god of this world to a 

"Liberty 
Monarchs cannot grant, and all the powers 
Of earth and hell confederate take away '* ' ? 



1879] ff^ ^^^^ Days. 42q 

" His actions threw a light aroand his living steps ; his 
name was written before his eyes in the temple of immor- 
tality. As a servant of the Most High God, faithful unto 
death, he has now his rest and his reward.'** 

But few words are required to sum up the life-story of 
James Mursell Philiippo. He has himself characterised 
it in the words of the motto with which as a student he 
began his career. They were, " Energy, Prudence, 
Economy, Temperance, Perseverance, with ardent love to 
God and man.''t Through weal and woe, with an un- 
faltering step, he pursued the object to which he had 
consecrated his life, and whatever powers he possessed, 
whether of body or mind» were absolutely, and without 
reserve, given to the service of his Saviour and to the 
well-being of Africa's children. In person he was 
of a comely presence, somewhat above the average in 
height; in manners, urbane and courteous, and, in his 
intercourse with men of every sort, considerate of their 
wants and feelings. Though sensitive to praise or blame, 
neither to obtain the one nor to avoid the other did he 
sacrifice his convictions or swerve from the path of 
rectitude. His principles were firmly grasped and 
earnestly maintained, and neither smiles nor frowns 
prevailed to restrain their assertion. In the presence of 
the direful evils and miseries of slavery, he wrought 
righteousness, and was the helper and succourer of the 
oppressed. Every faculty was strained to destroy the 

curse which darkened the fair land of Jamaica, and to 

— ■ - — -^ 

* <* Most of the paragraphs between inverted commas, with some 
slight variations, excepting the extract of the farewell letter which has 
been interpolated, are from a * Sermon on the Death of the Rev. Jas. 
Mursell fhillippo, preached in East Queen Street Baptist Chapel, 
Kingston, Jamaica, by the Rev. F. Seed Roberts, of the Baptist 
Missionary Society, London, Tutor of Calabar College.* " 
fSee p. 16. 



430 Hh Lcui Days. ['879 

remedy the mischiefs, worse than crops of nightshade, it 
produced. His labours for the education and elevation 
of the emancipated slave, both morally and socially, were 
incessant, and often pursued under circumstances of great 
discouragement. Every undertaking in Spanish Town 
and its vicinity, for the improvement of men, whether 
coloured or white, enjoyed his sympathy, and was often 
benefited by his wise counsel and instructive communica- 
tions. He was benevolent co the fullest extent' of his 
means, and it was his delight to visit the poor in their 
homes, to sympathise witd their sorrows, and to aid them 
in their efforts for advancement Rich and poor, high 
and low, alike sought his counsel; he was the friend 
of all. Throughout the stormy scenes of the period in 
which he lived, he observed a dignified moderation, and 
won and kept the respect, the good-will, and veneration 
of two generations of men, often stirred to their depths 
by the passions and antagonisms of great and momentous 
events. He preserved to the last the freshness, the 
buoyancy, and gentleness of his early dajrs ; maintained 
his tastes for literary and elegant pursuits, and was 
continually adding to his stores of information. His 
mind was stored with facts, and perhaps no living man 
possessed such a knowledge of the island of Jamaica, its 
history and institutions, as he had acquired. His life was 
more active than contemplative, more addicted to the 
practical than the speculative. His works abound in 
knowledge of the facts with which he deals, but seldom 
touch on the deeper questions which underlie the move- 
ments of society, or which occupy modem thought. 
He was popular as a lecturer on literary, scientific, and 
historical subjects, wrote with clearness and force, and 
spoke with fluency and effect. 

As a Christian minister, he adorned the doctrine of his 
God and Saviour in all things. He was simple in his 



1R79] ^^^ ^^^ Dqys. 431 

habits, truthful in action and speech, and a faithful 
preacher of the doctrines he believed. He loved Christ. 
Christ was the light of his steps and the object of his 
fervent adoration. The circumstances did not require, 
nor did his flock expect, disquisitions on the profound 
mysteries of the Christian faith. The salvation and love 
of Christ in their regenerating and practical aspects and 
results were the topics on which he delighted to dwell — . 

*' For, above all, his luxury supreme, 
And his chief glory, was the Grospd theme." 

He lived in constant communion with his Lord, and his 
strength and purpose were daily fed and sustained by his 
inner fellowship with things unseen. 

As a missionary of the Gospel of Christ, his course 
cannot better be described than in the resolution passed 
by the Committee of the Baptist Missionary Society, with 
which institution he had been so long associated :-^ 

" In recording the decease of the Rev. James Mursell 
Phillippo, the senior missionary of the Society, the Com* 
mittee desire to ' glorify the grace of God ' manifested in 
the long and unwearied labours of this excellent servant of 
Jesus Christ. Bom in the year 1798, he entered on 
mission life in Spanish Town, Jamaica, in January, 1 824, 
and for fifty-five years he consecrated all his powers to the 
service of the people of that island. Many were slaves 
' when he began to preach to them the unsearchable riches 
of Christ ; with many other eminent men, he toiled through 
evil and good report to obtain their freedom. That great 
boon secured, by well-devised schemes of education, by 
the planting of villages, by the incessant advocacy of 
righteous and just legislation, by sheltering the poor and 
defending the oppressed, and by faithful instruction in 
Christian truth and duty, he laboured both day and night, 
in arduous journeys and with unsparing effort, often at the 
risk of life, to impart the elements of knowledge, and to 



432 His Last Days, [1^79 

assure the welfare and civilisation of the emancipated 
peasantry. He was ever the friend of the distressed, the 
comfort of the sorrowful, the advocate of the miserable, 
and the true pastor of his flock. Endowed with both 
natural and acquired gifts, he was the faithful minister of 
Christ, the courteous gentleman, and the loving friend. 
With Christian courage and fortitude he passed through 
many trials. He was the valued counsellor of his 
ministerial brethren, and prompt to co-operate with them 
and to aid in every good design devised for the benefit of 
the people whom he loved. He lived to see the blessed 
results of emancipation, the great and successful increase 
of the mission, and to rejoice in the wide diffusion of the 
principles of liberty and piety of which he was the manly 
and conscientious advocate. His long service for Christ 
has terminated with honour to himself, is crowned with 
the grateful affection of his brethren and of the Society 
which he served with so much respect and esteem. His 
memory will be cherished by thousands of the children of 
Africa to whom he brought the blessings of salvation, and 
his name will be enrolled among the noble band of men 
who struggled for and won freedom for the slave.*' 

** The exile is at home ; 

O nights and days of teazs ! 
^ O longings not to roam ! 

O sins and doubts and fears ! 
What matters now ? O joyful day ! 
The King has wiped all tears away ! " 



THE END. 



APPENDIX. 



F F 



435 



I.— LIST OF STATIONS AND SCHOOLS 

ESTABLISHED IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY THE 

REV. J. M. PHILLIPPO. 

1834 TO 1874. 



Spanish Town ... 



Passage Fort ... 

Hartlands 

Kent ViUage 
Taylor's Caymanas 
Thankful HiU ... 
Kensington 



Parish of St. Catherine. 

... Commenced by Rev. T.Godden. Chapel-house, 
school-rooms, burial-ground. Built and pur- 
chased by Mr. Phillippo. 

... Chapel, residence, and out-offices built and pur- 
chased. 

... Chapel and school-house. 



• • ■ • • 



ClarksonTown... 
Sturge Town ... 



. . . School-house, used as chapel and teacher's house . 
... Land bought and two villages established with 

class-houses. 
... Village. 
... Village. 



Old Harbour ... 
Spring Garden... 
Rosswell 



St. Dorothy. 

... Station commenced and chapel erected. 

... Chapel or school-house built. 

... Chapel restored twice and school established. 



Sligoville 

Constant Spring 
Rock River 



St. Thomas-in-thb-Valb. 

... Land purchased for village; chapel-house and 

out-offices and school-house built. 
... Now Jericho. 



.. ... 



F F 2 



436 

St. John's. 

Garden RiTcr New) chapelbmlt 
Point Hfll ) *^ 

Kitson Town Land bought for township. Chapel bnilt and 

school established. 
Beecher Town 

Vers. 
Hayes' Savanna ... Station commenced. 

St. Andrews. 
Rose Hill ... ... ••• 

Manchester. 
Vale Lionel (Poms)... 

Victoria 

Mandeville ... ... 

Cabbage Hall 

Fom- Paths 



*•. ••• 



DAY SCHOOLS WERE ESTABLISHED IN THE 
FOLLOWING PLACES :— 

St. Catherine's Metropolitan Schools, Spanish Town. 

Passage Fort. 

Hartlands. 

Taylor's Caymanas. 

Thankful Hill. 

Klensington. 
St. Dorothy Spring Garden. 

Rosswell. 
St. Thomas-in-the-Vals ... Sligoville. 

Rock River. 
St. John's ... Kitson Town. 

Beecher Town. 
Manchester Poms. 

Mandeville. 

Victoria, 

Cabbage Hall. 
Clarendon Free Town. 

It -is calculated that between five and six thousand persons were 
baptized by Mr. Phillippo at the various stations* and some five 
thousand children educated in the schools established and superintended 
by him. 



437 



n.— EFFECTS OF DISESTABLISHMENT. 

BY SIR ANTHONY MUSGRAVE, K.C.M.G., GOVERNOR 

OF JAMAICA. 



From a Paper read before the Royal Colonial Institute, 

April 20, 1880. 



"The manner in which the people support their religious institu- 
tions deserves note and praise. The same writer from whom I have 
just quoted, himself a mimster of long residence and experience in 
Jamaica, remarks : — 

** * This last is a fact specially worthy of remark, as significant not 
only of the growth of deep-rooted religious sentiment, but of social 
progress. Religion in this 'colony has been disestablished and dis- 
endowed. Yet I venture to say that the Episcopal Church, which has 
suffered most from this change, was never, at least to outward 
observation, so strong and vigorous as at the present moment. As a 
rule, I believe, the congregations have shown themselves both willing 
and able to provide for the ministrations of the sanctuary, while, with 
very few exceptions, we see on almost every side signs of activity and 
zeal the most grati^ing. 

" ' Other Christian denominations have passed through a similar ordeal 
consequent upon the missionary societies of the mother country 
having seen it their duty, either wholly or in part, to withdraw the 
pecuniary aid which they had been wont to afford. Up to within the 
last few years these societies were paying the salaries of their agents ; 
now, for the most part, pastors and missionaries are thrown upon their 
respective bodies or their individual congregations for support. In 
general, whatever may have been the difficulties and struggles, this 
new burden has been cheerfully assumed by the people. Nor do I 
know of ,any missionary station which has been abandoned in conse- 
quence. On the contrary, there is hardly a parish in which one does 
not see new and handsome church-buUdings erected, or in course of 
erection, mainly through the voluntary contributions of the congrega- 
tions, while old ones on all sides are being repaired and beautified.' " 
—P. 24. 



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